By Karen List
Maria Manning, class of 2019, is a photojournalist and editor at WMTW News 8, the ABC affiliate in Portland, Maine.
Maria says “curiosity, caffeine and creative shots” keep her going as she’s out in the field covering breaking news and features. She’s covered everything from fires to an ice-fishing derby in subfreezing temperatures, and she operates the station’s drone camera for BLM protests. She loves storytelling and being a team player. This is her website: mariamanning.net.
She won the SPJ Mark of Excellence Award for Best Online Feature Videography in 2018 and the Michael S. Roiff Award for Best Documentary in 2019.
"If this year has taught me anything, it's that even when we feel like no one is listening, what we do as journalists really matters. As a photojournalist, I see myself as a storyteller and historian when on assignment. Each moment of heartache, loss, revolution and hope I've captured has had the ability to inform and expand a viewer's own world views. It's empowering and comforting to know that even though I can't fix everything that seems to go wrong, I can at least help spread truth."