Cronkite students dominate region, take home 51 SPJ Awards
For the eighth consecutive year, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication dominated the Society of Professional Journalists’ regional student competition.
Cronkite students won a remarkable 51 awards – nearly half of all the awards given in the Region 11 SPJ Mark of Excellence competition, which honors the best student work in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada. Last year Cronkite students won the region with 35 awards.
Cronkite awards included 21 first-place honors across print, radio, television and online. All of the first-place winners will go on to the national SPJ awards competition, which the Cronkite School also has dominated the past two years, winning more awards than any other school in the country.
“Cronkite School students continue to set the bar for thoughtful, in-depth, highly professional journalism across all media platforms,” said Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan. “It’s hard to describe how proud we are of these terrific students and the dedicated faculty members who mentor them to greatness.”
In the online journalism competition, Cronkite students swept two categories, and the CronkiteZine, an online Web site that showcases student work, was named Best All-Around Independent Student Publication.
Students accepted their awards at a ceremony at the University of Arizona in Tucson earlier this month.
Cronkite student winners:
First: Cronkite NewsWatch 2007
First: Erika Taillole, “Memorial Union Fire”
Third: Michelle Kyung Ashworth, “Obama Live”
First: Elias Johnson, “Bayou Rebirth”
Second: Amanda Goodman, “Tent City”
First: Cronkite NewsWatch, “Memorial Union Fire”
Second: Ashley McNamee, “Polygamous Custody Battle”
Third: Amanda Goodman, “Busiest Border Crossing”
First: Anne McCloy, “Shrimp Farm”
Second: Hailey Frances, “Tombstone Walk Down”
Third: Jeff Skrzypek, “Revival of Records”
First: Evan Doherty, “Practice Squads”
Second: Molly O’Brien, “Rattlers Tryouts”
News Photography
First: Nikki Rowley, “Phoenix Graffiti”
Second: Eric Miller, “Bayou Rebirth”
Third: Eric Miller, “Tent City”
First: Nikki Rowley, “Revival of Records”
Second: Anne McCloy, “Shrimp Farm”
Second: Zack Strier, “Sun Dogs Hockey”
First: Carolyn Carver, “Girl Scout Prison Program”
Second: Carolyn Carver, “Guatemalan Adoptions”
Third: Martha Castaneda, “Pit Bull Attack”
First: Sonu Munshi, “Sheriff Opens K-9’s Hot-Car Death Probe”
Second: Carolyn Carver, “Four Arrested in Death of Missing Girl”
First: Ryan Kost, “State Tries to Treat Hospital Violence”
Third: Jonathan J. Cooper, “Nursing Arrears”
First: Brent Ruffner, “Straddling Two Worlds”
Third: Eric Graf, “Classical Piano Sets Tone for Arizona School Superintendent”
First: Christopher Drexel, “New Coach, New Era”
Third: Kyle Odegard, “Stuck in Neutral”
First: Ray Ceo, Jr., selection of columns
Second: James Kindle, “The New Border Fence?”
First: Deanna Dent, “Autism on the Rise”
Second: Morgan Bellinger, “Territorial Cup Victory”
Second: State Press Magazine
First: Cronkitezine staff
First: MCO 598 Online Media, “Parking (Not) My Space”
Third: Jordan Jurkowitz & Katarina Kovacevic, “The New (And Improved) Glendale”
First: JMC 494 Advanced Online Media, “Galapagos”
Third: JMC 494 Advanced Online Media, “The Business of Death”
First: Chris Sheppard, “Baghdad or Bust”
Second: JMC 425 Online Media, “First Fridays”
First: Ryan Kost and Deanna Dent, “Anatomy of a Fighter”
Second: Christopher Drexel, “New Coach, New Era”
Third: Si Robins, “Hoop Dreams”
First: Cassandra Nicholson, “Intellitainment”
Second: Ryan Kost, “Telling Stories: A Writer’s Blog”
Third: Darin Trimillos, “West Coast Bias”
Third: ASU Web Devil