Bill Kubota

Veteran Detroit PBS journalist Bill Kubota has been named a finalist for 2023 Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter. 

His work last year ranged from covering Detroit’s civil rights legacy 60 years after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the “Walk to Freedom” to a story on Vietnam veterans’ efforts to rename Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, helping reduce stigma and encouraging more individuals to seek treatment.   

Kubota’s pieces also highlighted prison initiatives shown to reduce recidivism, examined the impact of climate change on a Detroit neighborhood inundated with flooding and, in collaboration with The Detroit News, provided insight on the emotional, physical, and financial challenges many Michigan caregivers face. 

Kubota shoots, writes and edits stories for Detroit PBS’ weekly news and public affairs program “One Detroit.”   

Several other Detroit PBS journalists will also be honored for their work on “One Detroit,” “American Black Journal,” and “Great Lakes Now” during SPJ Detroit’s annual awards ceremony and banquet May 15. 

Those who will also receive awards for Detroit PBS stories include Bill Allesee, Joe Dzenowagis, Christian Gibbons, Will Glover, Rob Green, Zosette Guir, Daphne Hughes, Matt Ilas, Chris Jordan, Dan Ketchum, Ed Moore, Daijah Moss, Orlando Rivera, Cecelia Sharpe, Anna Sysling and Jordan Wingrove.