Four J-School Students Win Hearst Journalism Awards

Columbia, Mo. (Dec. 18, 2003) -- Missouri School of Journalism students Duaa Eldeib, Alyssa Ford, Kyle Palmer and Mary Knez Walker were among the winners in the 44th annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation's Journalism Awards Program. More than 100 universities and colleges participated in the first Hearst competition of this academic year.

In the college feature writing category, Eldeib, a magazine student from Columbia, Mo., won fourth place for "Stockton's Survival," the story of a town attempting to recover from a devastating tornado. Ford, a magazine student from Lebanon, Mo., received 17th place for "Hair," which told readers about a woman living with an autoimmune disease that caused her hair to fall out.

In the student television broadcast features category, Walker, a broadcast news student from Springfield, Mo., won $1,000 for third place. Her entries included "Water Patrol Troubles," "Neusche Memorial" and "ASL Legislation" (American Sign Language). Ms. Walker now advances to the next stage of television news competition with journalism students around the country.

In the student radio category, Palmer, a broadcast news student from Independence, Mo., won 20th place. There were 40 audio and 63 video entries submitted.

The proven "Missouri Method" allows students to receive hands-on professional training at the Columbia Missourian, a daily community newspaper. Missouri has set the standards for journalism education for almost a century.

The Hearst Journalism Awards Program is conducted under the auspices of accredited schools of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, and full funded and administered by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. It consists of six monthly writing, three photojournalism and four broadcast news competitions, with championship finals in all divisions. More than $400,000 in scholarships and grants are awarded annually.