The Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence held their annual award ceremony and luncheon at the Union League Club on April 25, 2024. Center co-directors Carol Marin and Don Moseley presented ABC News journalist John Quiñones with the 2024 Distinguished Journalist Award, Block Club Chicago reporter Rachel Hinton with the 2024 Distinguished Alumna Award, and alum Marty Wilke with the 2024 Distinguished Mentor Award.
2024 Distinguished Journalist John Quiñones
'Persistence, passion, talent and grace'
With seven Emmys for his work on “Primetime Live," “Burning Questions" and “20/20," Quiñones sets a high bar for investigative journalism. “John is the embodiment of all that DePaul and our students stand for: persistence, passion, talent and grace," says Marin.
Quiñones started his career as a radio news editor in Houston before moving to WBBM-TV in Chicago. Marin worked across the street at NBC Chicago. “I have been watching him all these years as he has risen, realizing he never once forgot where he came from," Marin says. After becoming a general assignment correspondent in Miami, Quiñones began what would become a 33-year tenure at ABC News.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled. I am in awe of the distinguished journalists who have come before me, and it fills my heart with great humility and pride to join their ranks," Quiñones says. “Who would have thought when I began my career as a rookie reporter on the streets of Chicago that I would one day be awarded such a prestigious tribute?"
Previous recipients of the Distinguished Journalist Award include “PBS News Hour" anchor Judy Woodruff; “60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker; Chicago news anchor Ron Magers; Lester Holt of “NBC Nightly News;" Jane Pauley of “CBS Sunday Morning;" and Dean Baquet of The New York Times.
2024 Distinguished Alumni Rachel Hinton
Hinton excels in journalism, stays connected to her community
“From the moment we first met Rachel, it was clear she would make her mark in journalism," says Don
Rachel Hinton accepts the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence Co-Director Don Moseley. Photo Credit: Sandy Rosencrans. Moseley, Co-Director of the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence. “To do so…in such rapid fashion speaks to her innate ability and her unrelenting tenacity."
After graduating from DePaul with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 2017, Rachel Hinton hit the ground running in the industry. She worked at the Chicago Sun-Times for over four years, becoming chief political reporter. Hinton is now an investigative reporter at Block Club Chicago.
While studying at DePaul, Hinton was an editor for The DePaulia, winning two Associated Collegiate Press awards for her work at the student publication. She served as president of DePaul's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and a peer writing tutor at the writing center.
"My time at DePaul acted as a launch pad for my career in journalism," says Hinton. “My classes and time at The DePaulia are the building blocks of my career."
Previous recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award are Sally Ramirez; KARE-TV reporter Heidi Wigdahl; Jeremy Gorner of the Chicago Tribune; Ben Welsh of the Los Angeles Times; Ann Pistone of ABC7 Chicago and Lourdes Duarte of WGN-TV.
2024 Distinguished Mentor Marty Wilke
Mentorship as a guiding principle
Mentorship is a cornerstone of the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence's goals, and why center co-directors Carol Marin and Don Moseley were excited to honor Marty Wilke, 2024 Distinguished Mentor Award recipient. In more than two decades of working in television, Wilke pushed journalists out of their comfort zone and made news accessible.
She was the first woman to be general manager of WGN-TV and president of WBBM-TV. Under her leadership, the Chicago television stations have become more connected to their community, with increased viewership and revenue. Throughout her career, Wilke has supported DePaul students by offering mentorship and funding scholarships, such as the Wilke Family Endowed Scholarship she created with her sister in 2012. She also started the Marty Wilke Student Media Journalism Fund, which provides stipends and grants for student journalists. "Mentoring has been a guiding principle in my role as a leader," says Wilke. “The distinction of being recognized as a Distinguished Mentor is a great honor."
Wilke serves the college as a chair on the Dean's Advisory Council, and was the College of Communication's 2017 commencement speaker. “I extend this tribute to my mentors— individuals whose invaluable guidance, support, and encouragement have instilled in me the value of giving back to others."
Adapted from DePaul Newsline