Six Missouri School of Journalism students place in Hearst Journalism Awards, powering first-place finish in Intercollegiate Broadcast Competition
By Emily Early
COLUMBIA, Mo. (May 22, 2025) — Six Missouri School of Journalism seniors have been honored by the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Awards Program, adding to the seven awards already earned in this year’s competition.
These include two top-ten wins in the Hearst Journalism Awards’ Television News Competition: Siobhan Harms and Bethany Cates placed second and tenth, respectively. Cara Penquite also placed in the top ten in two competitions: fifth place in the Multimedia Digital News/Enterprise competition and eighth place in the Photojournalism Picture Story/Series competition. Additionally, Tadeo Ruiz earned 10th place in the inaugural Journalism Podcast Competition.
Adding to the honors, Anna Colletto — who placed 11th in the Audio News/Features Competition earlier this month — and Mercy Austin were honored with 12th and 18th place finishes, respectively, in the Personality/Profile competition.
Cumulatively, the awards helped the University of Missouri win first place in Hearst’s Intercollegiate Broadcast Competition, netting the Missouri School of Journalism a $15,000 prize. Mizzou also earned a top-three finish in the Intercollegiate Overall Competition as well as in the Intercollegiate Multimedia Competition.
Harms was recognized for two stories. One details Missouri’s Child Care Data System, which faced technical issues that caused several child care providers delays on funding. The second is an investigation into Missouri’s sex offender laws. Public pressure arose from Harms’ reporting in the latter case, causing a Missouri Senator to propose a bill limiting sex offender access to schools.
“It feels great to be recognized for these stories,” Harms said. “These two stories taught me a lot about navigating interviews that were deeply emotional and personal — from speaking with victims of sexual assault to interviewing small-business owners who feared for their livelihoods.”
Harms appreciated the guidance of Professor and KOMU Managing Editor Elizabeth Frogge over her reporting. Frogge has worked with Harms for around three years and has watched her grow as a student reporter.
“Siobhan’s stories that placed in the Hearst competition showcase some of KOMU’s best reporting over the past year,” Frogge said. “Her dedication and ability to tackle complicated stories have a true impact on the communities we serve.”
Frogge also worked with Cates, who placed for her coverage of Amendment 2 TV ads during the November 2024 election, which explored if teachers would benefit from the proposed sports gambling law.
“Bethany is one of the most professional students I’ve ever worked with,” Frogge said. “She stays in her lane and does her work. She sets goals and pushes herself to always strive for greatness. She’s hard on herself, loves to be critiqued and seeks to improve with every story.”
For Cates, placing in the Hearst competition was a bucket list moment.
“It feels great because I’m pouring back into the School of Journalism from what it poured into me,” Cates said. “I came here [from] 10 hours away, from Atlanta to learn how to put out good work as a storyteller, as a journalist, and it’s very rewarding to hear that I’m not only putting out good work but also helping the school that got me where I am today.”
Penquite’s submission for the Multimedia Digital News/Enterprise competition was a photo series and micro-documentary about how pumpkins are disposed of after Halloween. Furthermore, her placement in the Photojournalism Picture Story/Series competition was for a photo series about Missouri egg farms.
“It’s exciting,” Penquite said. “I didn’t plan to be in photojournalism, so to have ended up in photojournalism, it’s affirming to get your work recognized. I’m also grateful that everyone at the Missourian Photo Desk took me under their wing as a freshman. That really inspired me, all the people I’ve watched create amazing work at the J-School.”
Penquite also credits Professor Jackie Bell as a positive influence in her work, especially in the egg farm photo series. Penquite produced both winning projects in classes taught by Bell.
“She is an incredibly devoted photojournalist and doesn’t let go of a story until she has perfected it to the best of her ability,” Bell said. “She understands the visual storyline and message, but her real gift is her ability to push the boundaries of what is expected. She surprises me with her beautiful ability to see and her doggedness to complete difficult stories.”
Finally, Ruiz earned a top-ten finish for a podcast covering the potential implications of legalizing sports betting in Missouri.
“Tadeo’s work showed just how many loopholes exist in the proposal to allow sports betting in the state, and how similar provisions have led other states to receive far less revenue than gambling advocates suggested they would,” said Stan Jastrzebski, news director at NPR-member station KBIA-FM.
The honorees join a select group of School of Journalism students who have been awarded through Hearst. The 65th annual Hearst program, comprising 14 competitions, will conclude with the National Championship in June.
Updated: May 22, 2025