Missouri Counts 12 Winners, 15+ Awards, in Region 7 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards

Charles Davis Journalism Studies Faculty

Columbia, Mo. (April 15, 2005) -- Eleven students and KOMU were honored with the presentation of the 2004 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) presents the awards annually to honor the best in student journalism. The Missouri School of Journalism received 19 awards spanning over 13 of the 45 categories for print, radio, television and online journalism. Charles Davis, the SPJ adviser at MU, was pleased with the results.

"The J-School's showing at the MOE awards is particularly satisfying for me as SPJ adviser," Davis says. "I have stressed our students getting involved with SPJ, and this is exactly the sort of thing that makes all of their hard work worthwhile." The students were honored at the Region 7 Conference held in Springfield on April 1st and 2nd. First-place winning entries will now advance to the national competition.

Josh Brodesky	Josh Eiserike	Sadie Gurman	Josh Hinkle
Kyle Palmer	Molly Reuter	Jason Rosenbaum	Scott Schaefer
August Skamenca	Lauren Stiglich	Matt Talhelm	KOMU

Josh Eiserike, a graduate student from Olney, Md., received a first-place award in the editorial cartooning category. Eiserike is a graduate student and is pursuing a degree in a self-designed model. He has interned for MAD Magazine and Geopolitics. Eiserike says he hopes to get another internship this summer and will graduate in Dec. 2005.

Sadie Gurman placed first in the in-depth reporting category. A junior from Denver, Colo., Gurman is majoring in news-editorial. She has interned with The Denver Post and the National Newspaper Association. Gurman plans on graduating in 2006 and pursuing a career in newspaper reporting.

Josh Hinkle, a masters student from Wynnewood, Okla., received the second-place award in the television general news reporting category. Hinkle is majoring in broadcast journalism and public policy and has work experience for KWTV in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Public Radio. Hinkle graduates in May 2005 and says he would like to pursue a career television news, specializing in investigative features.

Kyle Palmer, a senior broadcast journalism major from Independence, Mo., received three first-place awards in the categories of radio feature, radio sports reporting and radio daily newscast. He has intern experience at the AP sports bureau in London. After graduation in May 2005, Palmer is considering several options such as working in Columbia for KBIA, participating in an Arabic language program in Egypt and finding a job in television.

Molly Reuter is a senior broadcast journalism major with a minor in history from Maple Plain, Minn. She received the first-place award in the category of television spot news reporting. Reuter has been a member of SPJ for four years and has interned as a production assistant at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. Reuter graduates in May 2005 and would like a job as a sports reporter or anchor.

Jason Rosenbaum was awarded second place in the general writing column category. A junior news-editorial major from Evanston, Ill., Rosenbaum will be working this summer as a reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune. He plans to graduate in May 2006 and pursue a career as a newspaper reporter.

Scott Schaefer of Montgomery City, Mo. received the first-place award in the television feature photography category. Schaefer graduated in Dec. 2004 with a broadcast journalism degree. He now helps broadcast students shoot and edit their stories by working for KOMU as a news photographer and ENG truck operator.

August Skamenca, a broadcast major from Denver, Colo., won first and second place in the radio spot news reporting category, and third place in the radio feature category. He has worked in several professional capacities, and earned invaluable experience during his teenage years by reporting on important stories such as the Oklahoma City bombing trials and the Columbine High School massacre. Skamenca has worked as a general assignment reporter for KBIA and continues to freelance for national radio networks and a radio syndication service in St. Louis.

Lauren Stiglich, of Shorewood, Ill., is a senior broadcast news major with a minor in political science. She received a first-place award in the television feature category, as well as a third-place award in the television general news reporting category. Stiglich has interned at MSNBC in New York and plans to pursue a 10-month graduate of broadcast journalism degree at Columbia University. She will be working at WGN-TV in Chicago this summer as an assistant producer.

Matt Talhelm, a senior broadcast major from Chambersburg, Pa., received first and second-place awards in the television general news reporting category. He has interned at WHAG-TV NBC 25 in Hagerstown, Md. After graduation, Talhelm plans to return to the east coast and work as a television reporter.

KOMU received first place in the television daily newscast category. Recognized throughout the broadcast industry as the premiere training ground for television journalists, KOMU's newsroom creates a real-life lab experience for students attending the Missouri School of Journalism. KOMU is the only university-owned commercial television station in the United States that uses its newsroom as a working lab for students.