Wisconsin journalist Olga Halaburda earns professional awards in 2005 (02/19/06)

Wisconsin journalist Olga Halaburda earns professional awards in 2005

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Olga Halaburda, reporter for CBS 5 WFRV-TV, earned several professional awards in 2005 for her work as a journalist as well as recognition for civic achievement.

Ms. Halaburda, daughter of John and Eva Halaburda, grew up in Warren, Mich. She attended Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Grade School and High School in Hamtramck, Mich. Ms. Halaburda earned a B.A. in journalism from Wayne State University in Detroit. Since 1990 she has worked as a television news reporter in Mason City, Iowa; Longview, Texas; and Green Bay, Wis., as the creator of the "Ukrainian Power" educational children's video series.

Ms. Halaburda spent two months investigating an old murder case, in which a Green Bay police officer (John Maloney) was convicted of killing his estranged wife. Ms. Halaburda dug into the Maloney case file and produced a seven-part series with new information in the case. In the series, which raised questions about Mr. Maloney's conviction, Ms. Halaburda showed viewers evidence and documents never publicly seen before and revealed new allegations of misconduct against the prosecutor in the case. The prosecutor had previously been convicted of accepting bribes to fix court cases and is currently serving a federal prison sentence.

Ms. Halaburda's series, "Maloney Murder Case Re-examined," won a First Place Award for Hard News Reporting from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA). Ms. Halaburda also won a Merit Award for Hard News from the WBA for another series of reports, "Mark Price Conviction Re-examined."

Ms. Halaburda went on to win the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting for "Maloney Murder Case Re-examined." Ms. Halaburda's series was also nominated for an Emmy Award by the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The category for the award was Outstanding Achievement within a Regularly Scheduled News Program - Investigative Series. It was Ms. Halaburda's second Emmy nomination.

Ms. Halaburda's reporting on the Maloney case also caught the attention of the CBS network news magazine program "48 Hours Mystery." Ms. Halaburda was hired by "48 Hours" to serve as associate producer as the program retold the story of the Maloney murder and examined the possibility of misconduct in that case.

The "48 Hours" report, "A Question of Murder," caught the attention of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which had heard Mr. Maloney's case in 2005. Based on information in that "48 Hours" report, which was filed with the high court by the State Attorney General's Office, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in an unprecedented move, offered Mr. Maloney an appeal for a new trial "in the interest of justice." That appeal is currently being considered.

For her civic involvement, Ms. Halaburda received the 2005 Outstanding Young Wisconsinite Award from the Wisconsin Junior Chamber.

The Outstanding Young Wisconsinites are awarded to people age 21-39 who have excelled in academics, leadership and/or community service.

One of the reasons Ms. Halaburda was nominated by the Green Bay Chapter of the Wisconsin Jaycees for the award was because of her mission to foster the Ukrainian language and culture through her company, Ukrainian Power Videos Inc. The mission of "Ukrainian Power" is to allow children to enjoy the Ukrainian language and culture through the use of fun, educational toys and colorful, musical puppet programs on video and DVD. Ms. Halaburda used her television background and connections to assemble a skilled staff of 47 people, in 2000 and 2002, to work on the "Ukrainian Power" productions. Among those hired: a Sesame Street puppeteer, professionals from the television industry and several leaders from various Ukrainian communities around the United States. Ms. Halaburda also launched free, educational interactive Ukrainian games on her website www.ukrainianpower.com.

The Wisconsin Jaycees also honored Ms. Halaburda, a first-generation Ukrainian American, for her involvement in Ukraine's repeat presidential election in late 2004. Ms. Halaburda traveled to Ukraine to serve as a registered election observer in the controversial political race. Ms. Halaburda reported on the Orange Revolution, as well as on her experience as an election observer, in an eight-part series that aired on local Viacom-Owned CBS or UPN stations in Green Bay, Sacramento, San Francisco, Dallas and New York.

The response to Ms. Halaburda's reports on Ukraine was overwhelming in northeast Wisconsin. After returning from Ukraine, Ms. Halaburda delivered numerous speeches in the Green Bay area to educate students and adults about Ukraine.

"It was very surprising to me to see how much genuine interest there was from the Green Bay community in Ukraine's history and current events," Ms. Halaburda said. She spoke to several groups, ranging in size from 50 people to 300 people.

"I spoke to a wide range of audiences, from students at the University of Wisconsin to senior citizens who took part in a program called 'Learning in Retirement.' Employees of Green Bay's largest hospital, which occasionally sees Ukrainian immigrants as patients, also invited me to speak about the Ukrainian culture and Ukraine, as did a community globalist organization, which is interested in learning about global issues," Ms. Halaburda said. "I couldn't believe how many great questions people asked at these events and how much enthusiasm they had for learning about Ukraine."

The Wisconsin Jaycees also recognized Ms. Halaburda for her local civic achievement.

Ms. Halaburda is an advocate for finding missing children and adults. In February 2006 she will speak at a national Missing Children and Adults conference in Appleton, Wis., which is aimed at sharing information with law enforcement agents and community leaders about the best practices in finding the missing.

Since 2000 Ms. Halaburda has also been active in inspiring entrepreneurs in her community. She has served as an advisory board member and volunteer marketing teacher for Urban Hope Entrepreneur Center in Green Bay. Urban Hope is a non-profit organization that gives individuals an opportunity to realize the American dream of owning and operating their own business.

"I enjoy sharing the story of how I started my small business," said Ms. Halaburda. "I'm happy to fill a small niche in the Ukrainian market."

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