Missouri School of Journalism Students Earn Bragging Rights at SPJ Regional Conference with 25 Mark of Excellence Awards
The Awards Honor the Best in Student Journalism
Columbia, Mo. (April 13, 2010) — The Missouri School of Journalism received the most awards – a total of 25 – at the recent Region 7 Society of Professional Journalists conference, competing against students attending universities in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.
Eighteen Missouri journalism students were honored with 25 Mark of Excellence awards for print, radio, television and online journalism. The annual awards recognize the best in student journalism.
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Top row, from left: Andrew Astleford, Joe Bradley, Mike Brannen, Evan Bush, Adam Falk, Lindsey Foat, Lenny Goldman, Shane Hoffman, Laura Nichols. Second row: John Regan, Alex Rozier, Brandon Smith, Brandon Spencer, Katy Steinmetz, Kyle Stokes, Rebecca Thiele, Allan Thompson, Taryn Wood.
The Missouri School of Journalism has one of the largest and most active SPJ chapters in the United States. SPJ is dedicated to improving and protecting journalism, encouraging its free practice and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.
“It’s a real pleasure to honor students from around the region. It’s especially gratifying to see Missouri students stack up so well across all platforms, a tribute to our faculty and staff as well as the hard work of the students themselves,” said Holly Edgell, assistant professor of radio-television journalism and regional director for Region 7. Charles Davis, associate professor and executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, serves as the chapter’s adviser.
15 First-Place Awards
First-place regional winners are forwarded on to the national competition, and the national winners will be honored at the 2010 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference in Las Vegas.
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- Andrew Astleford, first place in the newspaper sports writing category for “Arena of Dreams,” which was published in the Columbia Missourian. Judges’ comments: “Outstanding feature on football players who have not given up their dream of the NFL. Great job of setting the stage, good use of descriptive language.”
- Mike Brannen, first place in the television sports photography category for his piece “Nasty Nine,” which aired on KOMU-TV. Judges’ comments: “Good story…good integration of the Antlers and the Macon County crazies. Good video.”
- Evan Bush, Adam Falk and Taryn Wood, first place in the online sports reporting category for “Pregame Playmakers,” which was published on columbiamissourian.com. Judges’ comments: “Excellent enterprise coverage that spotlights the hundreds of people who help to put on a show for a major college football game. Excellent use of multimedia to tell these interesting stories.”
- Adam Falk, first place in the online feature reporting category for “Play in a Day,” which was published on columbiamissourian.com. Judges’ comments: “The task is daunting: Begin with a script in the morning and prepare all day to present a play that night. Telling the story of a “Play in a Day” is no less difficult. But this entry does a wonderful job of capturing the nervousness, excitement, frustration and joy of putting it all together. Outstanding work.”
- Lindsey Foat and Emily Coppel, first place in the radio in-depth reporting category for “Life after Prison,” which aired on KBIA 91.3 FM. Judges’ comments: “This is superior work. Well-written voice over, excellent use of natural sound — all woven together quite well to tell an interesting, informative story. I’d listen to quality work like this in a heartbeat.”
- Chris Hamby, first place in the magazines, non-fiction article category for “Keeper of the Court,” which was published in Voxmagazine. Judges’ comments: “Compelling story with a solid foundation. The strong writing carries the reader from beginning to end, building upon each new section as we go.”
- Michael Kelly, first place in the television sports reporting category for “Fan Rumps,” which aired on KOMU-TV. Judges’ comments: “It included several excellent news elements including conflict, impact, timeliness, proximity, prominence, helpfulness and human interest.”
- Laura Nichols, first place in the television in-depth reporting category for “Marine Vaccination Injury,” which aired on KOMU-TV.
- Taylor Reeh, first place in the best all-around radio newscast category for “Regional News,” which aired on KBIA 91.3 FM. Judges’ comments: “Smooth delivery. Copy was well written, concise, well organized. This entry was as good or better than you’d hear on some commercial stations in mid- or small markets. Nice job.”
- Alex Rozier, first place in the television breaking news reporting category for “Getting to Know Alyssa Bustamante,” which aired on KOMU-TV. Judges’ comments: “Very good live shot to set up the story. Excellent selection of sound bites to show how emotional this case is. Effective use of photographs to help tell the story. Nice job.”
- Brandon Smith, first place in the radio news feature category for “Low Pork Prices Hurt Farmers,” which aired on KBIA 91.3 FM. Judges’ comments: “This was a very competitive category with little separating the high-quality work among the top three. This entry has strong, descriptive writing and does good job explaining a complex topic in simple terms.”
- Brandon Spencer, first place in the radio sports reporting category for “Tailgaters Ride to Football Games in Style: In the ZouBus,” which aired on KBIA 91.3 FM. Judges’ comments: “Good concept and story.”
- Kyle Stokes, first place in the television general news reporting category for “Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Cupp Chevrolet,” which aired on KOMU-TV. Judges’ comments: “Good editing — good way to take national story and make it local, about real people in your community with good writing/video/sound.”
- Becky Thiele, first place in the radio news reporting category for “Rain Delay Harvest,” which aired on KBIA 91.3 FM. Judges’ comments: “Nice voice for broadcast work. Sound bites and and written words tell the story quite well.”
- Allan Thompson, first place in the television feature reporting category for “Hunting for Hope,” which aired on KOMU-TV. Judges’ said” “Outstanding story, well conceived with excellent storytelling. Very well shot and edited. Great natural sound.”
8 Second-Place Awards
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- Len Goldman and Joe Bradley, second place in the online sports reporting category for a story that ran on columbiamissourian.com.
- Shane Hoffman, second place in radio sports reporting category for a story that aired on KBIA 91.3 FM.
- Taylor Reeh, second place in the radio news reporting category for a story that aired on KBIA 91.3 FM.
- Alex Rozier, second place in the television sports reporting category for a story that aired on KOMU-TV.
- Alex Rozier, second place in the television sports photography category for a story that aired on KOMU-TV.
- Katy Steinmetz, second place in the magazine non-fiction article category for a story that ran in Vox magazine.
- Kyle Stokes, second place in the radio news feature category for a story that aired on KBIA 91.3 FM.
- Kyle Stokes, second place in the television general news reporting category for a story that aired on KOMU-TV.
2 Third-Place Awards
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- Beth Ford, third place in the television in-depth reporting category for a story that aired on KOMU-TV.
- J.P. Regan, third place in the radio news features category, for a story that aired on KBIA 91.3 FM.
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.
Updated: May 7, 2020