Philip Merrill College of Journalism | University of Maryland

SPJ Names UM Newscast, Web Magazine Best in Nation

For Immediate Release Sept. 30, 2003

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Philip Merrill College of Journalism’s nightly newscast and the school’s Web-based newsmagazine were each named the nation’s best college-produced news products in their respective categories by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Maryland Newsline, the University of Maryland’s 30-minute newscast produced by advanced broadcast news students and aired on the College-operated cable station UMTV, again won SPJ’s prestigious Mark of Excellence Award. It also won the top award last year, its first year of operation.

Meanwhile, the school’s student-produced Web newsmagazine, also called Maryland Newsline, was named nation’s best independent college-produced online publication in just its second year of existence.

The Maryland Newsline Web site was selected over Dateline Alabama, a finalist from the University of Alabama, while Maryland’s TV newscast beat out WUFT-TV of the University of Florida for the second consecutive year.

The announcements came Sept. 13 at SPJ’s national convention in Tampa. Maryland’s journalism program, which has long held a national reputation for its print journalism curriculum, has focused in recent years on building its broadcast and online news divisions.

“This is an extraordinary accomplishment and demonstrates how quickly both our TV and online news operations have catapulted to the upper echelon of journalism education,” said Dean Thomas Kunkel. “We are blessed with some of the best and brightest young minds in journalism education, and some of the most skilled and dedicated faculty.”

The dean applauded the efforts of Chris Harvey, the faculty member in charge of the Web magazine, and Mark Lodato, who spearheaded the TV show last year.

Maryland students won two other first-place Mark of Excellence Awards, the second most of any school in the nation.

Online students Kenny Beck and Reginald Hart, along with print and broadcast journalism students from the College’s Capital News Service program, won the online in-depth reporting award for their election series “Back to the Booth: A Guide to the 2002 Elections.”

This is the second year Maryland students won in the online in-depth category.

Three other Maryland Newsline projects were finalists nationally in the SPJ competition, with two winning second-place awards. In all, Maryland represented five of the 24 finalists in the online division.

Maryland’s other online finalists included:

Maha Ezzeddine and the Capital News Service staff in the online general news reporting category for “Back to the Drawing Board – Redistricting in the Old Line State” (second place).
Nicole M. Richardson and Ming-Huey Jeng in the online feature reporting category for “National Cherry Blossom Festival Through Maryland’s Eyes” (second place).
Richardson, Ezzeddine, Gloria Son, Scarlett Morao and the CNS staff in the online sports reporting category for “Farewell to Cole,” a feature on the closing of Cole Field House.

"None of these projects could have been executed if our online, broadcast and print students were not working as teams," Harvey said. "I'm really pleased to see their hard work recognized."

Meanwhile, Rishi Barran won the TV spot news category for his reporting on the D.C. area serial sniper, “Sniper Strikes Montgomery County.”

"Rishi Barran's piece is indicative of the extraordinary effort all the students put forth in covering the sniper shootings and the other big news events that occurred last year," said David Burns, director of the Capital News Service TV program and the Maryland Newsline newscast. "Our mandate is to cover Maryland news in our nightly television program, and I think the sniper shootings helped reinforce our commitment to covering local news.”

Maryland students were finalists in two other categories. Jonathan Cribbs and Jason Flanagan of the Diamondback, the independent campus daily, won second place in the newspaper spot news reporting category for “Shooting of 13-year-old Linked to Local Murders.” And Sabrina Hall of WMUC radio won second place in the radio in-depth reporting category for “Enough is Enough.”

Maryland’s nine winners and finalists were the most of any school in the nation.

Other members of the Maryland journalism community also won high honors at the Tampa convention.

Sue Kopen Katcef, Maryland’s SPJ chapter adviser who was named the nation’s best SPJ adviser last year, this year won the society’s Distinguished Teaching in Journalism Award. (See news release.)

Erin Fillah, a May graduate of the College, won the Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award as the nation’s top journalism grad, the third Maryland student to win that award in the past five years. (See news release.)

The College’s SPJ chapter was named the best in the region along, with Virginia Commonwealth University.

And Hodding Carter III, the College’s former Knight Chair in journalism, was one of two honored as an SPJ Fellow.

“This really is an extraordinary showing for the entire College family,” the dean said. “I couldn’t be prouder of our students or their dedicated instructors.”

For more information contact: Associate Dean Chris Callahan, 301-405-2432