The Society of Professional Journalists this month cited the best collegiate journalism with DePaul's
14 East magazine and
Good Day DePaul receiving four Mark of Excellence Awards as first place winners in the Region 5 competition, which includes Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
The winners will now compete at the national level, which includes 12 regions, with national winners expected to be announced next month. Additionally, 14 East, Good Day DePaul and
Radio DePaul had 12 finalists named in the regional showing.
DePaul's 14 East magazine was named the Best Independent Online Student Publication. 14 East is an independent student-run online magazine that publishes long-form stories every week with an emphasis on multimedia and data. It takes its name from the street address of the Daley Building — 14 East Jackson Blvd., where the College of Communication is housed.
“In the past four years, since we launched in May 2016, we've actually won Best Independent Online Student Publication three times — and we were a finalist the other year. It feels pretty surreal," says Marissa Nelson, editor-in-chief. “It's an honor to work with such a talented, ambitious and dedicated team of journalists. I'm constantly impressed and inspired by how hard they work and how much they truly care about what we're doing.”
Advisor cites characteristics of student journalists “The editors and contributors at 14 East make such an impact with their stories because they start by defining their values. They are open-minded, inclusive, creative, rigorous and persistent," says Amy Merrick, a professional lecturer at DePaul, who serves as faculty advisor to 14 East, as well as the DePaul University Society of Professional Journalists and Online News Association. “They spend a lot of time considering the why and how of their reporting, not just what stories they're producing. They treat journalism as a public service.”
Nelson also was recognized as the winner of Online In-depth Reporting for her story “
Sexual harassment on the CTA appears more common than reports suggest."
14 East's former associate editor Nikki Roberts was named the winner for Online Opinion & Commentary for three of her works on women in music. Roberts, who graduated last month with a bachelor's degree in journalism, just began an editorial internship as a research assistant at Chicago magazine. Her winning entries included: “
Kesha's Animal Made Me the Trashy Party Girl I Am Today," “
I Never Came Out— I Just Started Listening to The Runaways," and “
'Guilty Pleasure' Music is just Another Way to Shame Women for Their Musical Tastes."
Good Day DePaul sweeps in-depth reporting category Good Day DePaul journalist Michael Abraham was named the winner for Television In-depth Reporting for his segment “
World's biggest sleepout." Abraham, who is expected to graduate in June with a master's degree in journalism, also was a finalist in this category for his segment “
1919 Chicago race riots." The other finalist in this category — it was a Good Day DePaul sweep — was Kayla Molander for her segment “
Lincoln yards." Molander received a master's degree in journalism with distinction in November.
“At Good Day DePaul, we are committed to letting our students do in-depth reporting,” says Rick Brown, a professional lecturer at DePaul who serves as faculty advisor to the weekly television news program produced by students. “The caliber of our students is very high. Michael Abraham had one story that took first place in the in-depth category and another that was a finalist. That tells you all you need to know about his ability and commitment to important journalism. Our other finalist, Kayla Molander, was another remarkable reporter for Good Day DePaul. She is now bringing that same commitment to her first job as an on-air reporter at WTVG-TV in Toledo, Ohio."
Other finalists who were recognized, including the podcast “
David and Goliath," produced by the staffs of 14 East and Radio DePaul, are listed in the
SPJ press announcement.