Eight students were also recognized regionally by the Society of Professional Journalists.
“Elon Local News” and The Pendulum, Elon University’s two student-run daily news-gathering organizations, were named finalists in the Best Student Newscast and Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper categories of the Society of Professional Journalists Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards competition.
Many individual students were also recognized for their work. Below is a list of the finalists:
- BEST ALL-AROUND NON-DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER — The Pendulum for its March 5, 2014, Oct. 7, 2014, Nov. 19, 2014, editions
- BEST ALL-AROUND TELEVISION NEWSCAST — Elon Local News for its Nov. 24, 2014 broadcast
- BREAKING NEWS WRITING — Michael Bodley ’16 for “Mold discovered in Elon’s Loy Center addressed by Physical Plant”
- FEATURE WRITING — Morgan Abate ’16 for “From ensign to four-star admiral: Bill Gortney ’77 takes on new challenges to ‘defend the home’”
- GENERAL NEWS WRITING — Katy Canada ’15 for “Cost of fire alarms over-budget, underfunded by university”
- IN-DEPTH WRITING — Katy Canada ’15 for “Cutting master’s pay spells trouble for graduate programs, teachers”
- ONLINE NEWS — Stephanie Butzer ’14 and Carly Hildyard ’14 for “Murky waters: North Carolina wrestles to manage hog waste”
- ONLINE NEWS — Caroline Olney ’14 for “Sacred silence: tinnitus and the noise that never stops”
- SPORTS WRITING — Tommy Hamzik ’17 for “Never back down: Nicole Dennion kicks cancer”
- BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY — Al Drago ’15 for “Waverly Shooting”
- FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY — Al Drago ’15 for “Festivus”
- GENERAL NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY —Al Drago ’15 for “Last Touch” and “Pony Swim”
- SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY — Al Drago ’15 for “Eye Ball” and “Splash Jump”
- ONLINE SPORTS — Andrew Feather ’17 for “Elon officially joins the Colonial Athletic Association”
SPJ Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards are given in newspaper, TV, radio and online categories. Awards are given only to those who place in the top three in the region. Regional winners move on to the national competition, at which time they will compete with 11 other first-place regional winners. Region 2 comprises North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware. Results of the Region 2 competition will be revealed at the regional conference awards luncheon Saturday, March 28 at the University of Maryland.
Last year, SPJ named The Pendulum the Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper in the country. Drago was also a national winner in 2014 in the Photo Illustration competition.