The Daily Utah Chronicle touts itself as the only source for campus news, but now it can add “one of the nation’s best” to its sales pitch.
On May 13, the Society of Professional Journalists, a 100-year-old national journalism organization, declared The Chronicle a national finalist in its Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper category in its 2008 Mark of Excellence Award. The Chronicle placed No. 3 behind the dailies at the prestigious journalism programs of the University of Maryland-College Park and this year’s winner, the University of Pennsylvania. It’s the paper’s second year in a row placing in the top three, having placed second in 2007.
According to the SPJ, The Chronicle placed third for its mature writing, diverse and thorough investigative coverage, consistently bold design and thoughtful yet funny editorials, among other reasons.
The college papers that placed in the top three last year, sans The Chronicle, did not return to the top tier again this year. By placing third this year after coming in second in 2007, The Chronicle joins the ranks of prestigious schools such as the University of Pennsylvania and UCLA, which, along with several other colleges, have also placed nationally for at least two consecutive years since 2000.
“I think (placing twice) shows we have a strong training program for new writers,” which includes bringing in reporters from The Salt Lake Tribune to mentor the staff, said Dustin Gardiner, last year’s editor in chief.
On top of that success, two of The Chronicle’s photographers placed second in their respective categories. Lennie Mahler placed in the Sports Photography category for his picture of U basketball player Lawrence Borha being fouled on a dunk. Aaron Schwendiman also came in second in the Breaking News Photography category for a picture of students protesting the 2008 Olympic games.
SPJ also awarded cartoonist Phil Cannon the third-best editorial cartoon award for a student paper last year.
Not that the victories aren’t laced with some defeat.
Colleges submit their work to one of 12 geographical regions. If a college places first within its region, then it becomes a nominee in the national competition. The Chronicle entered the national competition with eight nominees, but only half placed.
It also has fewer winners than last year. The Chronicle won seven national awards in 2007, and took home only four this year, and last year, it was declared the second-best daily college paper in the nation8212;not third.
Gardiner said he isn’t disappointed by the lesser returns. Placing on the national level and being America’s third-best is cool as it is, he said.
Rachel Hanson, the new editor in chief, plans to build on the paper’s strong investigative reporting and lauded design for the next year.
The national winners and runners-up will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony at the annual SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference on Aug. 28.