West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism students continue to prove they are among the best and brightest in the region, winning three first-place honors in the Society of Professional Journalists 2008 Region 4 Mark of Excellence Awards. WVUstudents also took several second- and third-place awards in the college journalism competition.
Tricia Fulks, of Clarksburg, received first place in the In-Depth Reporting category for her story “eMBA-gate” that ran in The Daily Athenaeum, WVU’s daily student newspaper.
Stephen Butera, of Middletown, N.J., won first place in the Television Feature category for his piece “Hero Car,” which was produced as part of the school’s partnership with KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.
In addition, the staff of “WVU News,” the school’s student-produced newscast that airs on West Virginia Public Television, took top honors as Best Television Newscast.
First-place winners will advance to the national round of judging, which is ongoing, and national winners will be announced in May.
In addition to these top honors, WVU journalism students earned several second- and third-place awards.
Second-place honors went to:
- Tony Dobies, of Youngwood, Pa., in the Sports Column Writing category for his sports columns in The Daily Athenaeum
- Chris Gunnoe, of South Charleston, in the Television Sports Reporting category for “Voice of the Mountaineers” produced for “WVU News”
- Janet Irwin, of Bethel Park, Pa., in the Television Feature category for “Holocaust Remembrance” produced for “WVU News”
- Anthony Rizzo, of Fairmont, in the Television General News Reporting category for “School Bond Fails” produced for “WVU News”
- Nikki Rotunda, of Fairmont, in the General News Photography category for her work titled “Toxic truth?” in The Daily Athenaeum
Third-place honors went to:
- Brandon Brown, of Gerrardstown, in the Television Sports Reporting category for “Pride of WV” produced for “WVU News”
- Dobies in the Feature Writing category for “Title IX series” in The Daily Athenaeum
“We are really proud of our students for the excellence they demonstrate in their work,” said Maryanne Reed, dean of the School of Journalism. “They continue to shine and excel each year in this regional competition, and we wish them luck as they go on to the national competition.”
The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. This year, collegiate journalists submitted more than 3,600 entries in 39 categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism. The Region 4 honors were announced April 4 at SPJ’s Regional Spring Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Region 4 includes West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.