SPJ Archives - School of Journalism and New Media

Posts Tagged ‘SPJ’

Society of Professional Journalists names two UM finalists in 2021 Mark of Excellence national competition

Posted on: June 29th, 2022 by ldrucker

The Society of Professional Journalists recently named two University of Mississippi finalists in the 2021 Mark of Excellence national competition.

Student HG Biggs, a journalist with The Daily Mississippian, was named a finalist in the Breaking News Photography category of programs with more than 10,000 students. Hotty Toddy News was named a finalist for Best All-Around Television News Magazine.

The 2021 Mark of Excellence Awards recognize collegiate work published or broadcast during 2021. The awards honor the best in student journalism.

School divisions are based on student enrollment, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment. Schools with more than 10,000 students are designated as large schools.

National Mark of Excellence Awards judges can choose up to one national winner in each category and two national finalists (runners-up).

Winners and finalists were previously recognized by receiving first-place in one of SPJ’s 12 regional competitions. The results of those competitions can be found in the April 2022 SPJ News archive. Each first-place regional winner advanced to the national competition.

Below is a list of winners in both categories with UM winners.

Click to read the full list of winners.

Art/Graphics

Breaking News Photography (Large) 10,000+ Students
Winner: Racial reckoning – by TJ Shaw, Syracuse University
Finalist: Walking out – by Dominick Sokotoff, University of Michigan
Finalist: Confrontation – by HG Biggs, University of Mississippi

Television

Best All-Around Television News Magazine
Winner: “Our America” – by staff, California State University, Fullerton
Finalist: “ViewFinder” – by staff, The University of Maryland
Finalist: “Hotty Toddy News” – by staff, University of Mississippi

Q & A with national Society of Professional Journalists winner Madison Scarpino

Posted on: April 29th, 2019 by ldrucker

University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media student Madison Scarpino will be honored for her 2018 work by the National Society of Professional Journalists.

Scarpino was the winner in the television breaking news category of the national SPJ competition. Her entry “Ole Miss community reacts to controversial Facebook post” aired on NewsWatch Ole Miss. In it, she explored both sides of the controversy.

SPJ Mark of Excellence judges pick one winner and up to two finalists in each category in the 12 regions, then the top winners in each region compete against one another for the national awards. All of the biggest and most prestigious universities enter SPJ.

We asked Scarpino a few questions about her win.

Q. How did you feel when you learned you won the award?

A. I was shocked at first. I never thought one of my news packages would get such recognition, especially on a national level. I feel so incredibly honored and humbled to have won.

Q. For those who don’t know, for which story did you win the award?

A. I won the breaking news category for the National Society of Professional Journalists. The news package that won was titled “Ole Miss Community Reacts to Controversial Facebook Post,” and it focused on the controversy surrounding Ed Meek’s arguably racist Facebook post.

Q. Why do you think the judges selected your story or work for this award?

A. I think the judges selected my story because it focused on an issue that is prevalent in today’s society. I also got opinions from both sides on the situation, whether being against or for Ed Meek’s post, to ensure the story was not biased.

Q. What are your career aspirations?

A. My dream in life is to host a national show and focus on soft news, entertainment, lifestyle, etc. I would absolutely love to be in front of the camera on a show such as “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show” or “E! News.” Regardless of where my career path takes me, I have such a passion for news and storytelling, so I would be happy with any on-camera reporting job.

Recent graduate Ariel Cobbert was also a finalist in the photography breaking news category of the national SPJ compeition. Cobbert is being honored for one of her Daily Mississippian photos from the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination anniversary event in Memphis.

If you are interested in joining the SPJ, email ldrucker@olemiss.edu to learn more.

UM journalism students win Society of Professional Journalists awards at Nashville conference

Posted on: April 1st, 2019 by ldrucker

Congratulations to the University of Mississippi students who won 13 awards for their 2018 work in the annual Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence contest.

The Region 12 conference and awards luncheon was Saturday, March 30, at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Region 12 includes four states – Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Six UM student journalists – Grant McLaughlin, Carter Diggs, Grace Marion, Brooke McNabb, Sarah Liese, and Gracie Snyder – attended the conference that included workshops with many high achieving area journalists and networking opportunities.

Regional first-place winners automatically are entered into the national contest, competing against student winners in the other 11 regions.

In the newspaper and art/graphics/photo categories, SPJ separates entries from large schools and small schools, and our students compete in the categories for large universities.

Our Mark of Excellence first-place winners are:

The Daily Mississippian, best all-around daily newspaper

NewsWatch Ole Miss, best television newscast

Ariel Cobbert, breaking news photography (Honoring King’s legacy, Martin Luther King assassination 50th anniversary march)

Madison Scarpino, television breaking news (Ole Miss community reacts to controversial Facebook post)

Lasherica Thornton, breaking news reporting (article from her internship in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Victoria Hosey, radio news reporting (Meek social media post forum)

Hurricane Harvey reporting team (Italiana Anderson, Lana Ferguson, Victoria Hosey, Abbie McIntosh, MacKenzie Ross), best use of multimedia

SPJ picks one winner and two finalists in each category. Our finalists are:

Circle & Square staff, student magazine

The Daily Mississippian, breaking news reporting (Chancellor, campus leaders condemn post made by Ole Miss alumnus)

Victoria Hosey, radio feature (Michael Rish, hurricane survivor)

Billy Schuerman, general news photography (James Meredith photo from black alumni weekend)

Gracie Snyder, Sarah Liese, Lauren Conley, online in-depth reporting (African American students, faculty aim to make UM more inclusive)

Victoria Hosey, Abbie McIntosh, Madison Scarpino, online news reporting (Ole Miss student copies with the Hurricane Michael destruction of her hometown)

If you would like to become a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, contact UM SPJ Chapter President Grace Marion at spjumchapter@gmail.com.

Follow SPJ on Facebook

Follow SPJ on Twitter

Follow SPJ on Instagram