Special Section of Columbia Missourian Receives 1st Place Award

Laura Johnston Print and Digital News Faculty

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Columbia Missourian Inland Press Foundation

By Kim Trokey

Columbia, Mo. (Aug. 29, 2006) -- A Columbia Missourian newspaper special section titled "Connections-How mid-Missourians stay plugged in to a world ruled by technology" received the first place award at the Inland Press 2006 Newspaper Special Sections & New Products/New Revenue contest. The winning entry was chosen from more than 600 entries submitted by 80 different newspapers across the nation.

"Connections" section of the April 2, 2006, edition of eMprint.

The Columbia Missourian is a daily community newspaper managed by professionals with writing, design and photo by students at the Missouri School of Journalism.

The special section examined the uses of technology in the local community and explored how technology affects the lives of mid-Missourians and society as a whole. It was published as a supplement to the print newspaper as well as in an eMprint edition, a media-rich PDF available for download from the Web.

"The 'Connections' special section is another example of the great work that Missourian reporters, copyeditors, designers and photographers do every day, said Laura Johnston, news editor at the Missourian. "It was a fun and innovative project for the Missourian because it looked at how 'real' people actually use technology and gave readers new and useful information without seeming like a gadget guide of new products."

The section was created through a collaboration of two beats in the Missourian newsroom: Plug-in and General Assignment. The city editors responsible for the project were 2005-06 Knight Editing Fellows Rob Weir and Rania Adwan. Elizabeth Baird, BJ '06, now with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, designed the section. Seniors John Tully and Danny Dougherty served as photo editor and graphics editor, respectively.

Baird, who came from Dallas, Texas, to study journalism at Missouri, said that Connections was the product of a lot of time, energy and creative teamwork. "I'm really proud that I was a part of it," she said.

"I'm glad that the hard work people put into producing the section was recognized," said Tully. A senior from Woodbridge, Va., Tully is a photojournalism major.

The contest, held annually, is co-sponsored by the Inland Press Foundation and the Newspaper Special Sections Network.

Missourian representatives received the award at the award ceremony in Chicago.

Kim Trokey, BJ '06, is pursuing a master's degree in journalism, studying the strategic communication model, and serving as a graduate research assistant. As an undergraduate, she gained experience in public relations, event planning and advertising through internships at Help the Aged Charity in London, England, and at Rodgers Townsend, a full-service advertising agency in St. Louis, Mo. Trokey plans to work in advertising account planning upon graduation.