Journalism Students Compete With Industry Professionals - And Win

Tom Warhover Newspaper Journalism Chair Katherine Reed Newspaper Journalism Faculty

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Adelante Columbia Missourian Missouri Press Association

Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 26, 2006) -- Winning 36 awards is an achievement in any industry competition, especially in journalism. But when student writers, designers and photographers for a community daily - competing against professionals - win 36 awards, achievement takes on a whole new meaning.

Dugan Arnett	Bente Birkeland
Angela Busch	Stephanie DeMello
Shane Epping	Aaron Eisenhauer
Leah Lohse	Cristian Lupsa
Dusty Luthy	Emem Offong
Jennifer Price	Erin Richards

The Columbia Missourian reached that level Sept. 16 when it brought home 36 awards from the Missouri Press Association's Annual Better Newspaper Contest. The Missourian, a community daily that also serves as the working lab for Missouri School of Journalism students, gives journalism majors the opportunity to work as real writers, designers and photographers under the direction of professional editors.

The Missourian garnered 13 first-place finishes in a variety of categories, including content, design, photography, and beat reports such as religion, sports, rural life, and business. A first-place award in the General Excellence category highlighted the Missourian's performance, which also included several second place, third place and honorable mention awards. In 2005, the Missourian won 27 awards.

The number and diversity of awards attests to the success of the Missourian's unique organization, says its executive editor for innovation, Tom Warhover.

"It validates the Missouri Method. We publish a real newspaper, and our students compete against other real newspapers. That produces the next generation of fine professionals," Warhover said.

More than 250 students work for the Missourian each semester and receive one-on-one mentoring from approximately 15 professional editors.

"The strength of the students' performance resides in the strength of our editing professors," Warhover said. "We've got just a class above in terms of our editors at the Missourian these days. I'm proud of each and every one of them for the work they've done in helping their students attain these heights."

One of those editors, Assistant Professor Katherine Reed, mentored student winners working for the Missourian and for Adelante, the Missourian's regional Spanish/English bilingual newsmagazine. Reed was serving as editor of Adelante when two of the award-winning stories were published.

"When we're working on stories, we're thinking about quality, not awards. But this is gratifying, because not only do the students' stories get published, but they also are honored by this statewide association," Reed said. "It is really encouraging to know that what we consider quality journalism is also seen that way by people in the industry."

Reed said she is especially proud of the first-place award in investigative reporting won by seniors Dusty Luthy and Jennifer Price. The story examined the cause of death of MU football player Aaron O'Neal in the summer of 2005.

"That was a story that was overlooked by the other media, and it has had an impact on the NCAA changing its recommendations for identifying and handling athletes with sickle-cell traits. That's a life-or-death kind of story, and it's an incredible thrill for us to be a part of that."

Missouri journalism students of all emphases enter and win many professional and academic contests each year. Students have won more than 75 awards this year alone from such institutions as the Hearst Journalism Awards, Edward R. Murrow Broadcast Awards, Dow Jones Scholarships, Mid-America Emmys, Scripps Howard Top 10, Inland Press Awards, Overseas Press Club Scholarships, Page Society Competition, American Copy Editors Society, Public Radio News Directors, Inc., Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Pictures of the Year International, Society for News Design, Institute for International Public Policy and many more.

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