Student journalists for the Southern Miss Media Center (SM2) collected 47 awards across recent college journalism competitions, including sweeping the radio and television sports categories for the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters.
“We never do stories to win awards, but the recognition our students have received going up against the best programs in the state and the South show what we’ve always known, that our students not only can compete against the best; they are the best,” said Edgar Simpson, the Director of the USM School of Communication.
The Student Printz, the weekly newspaper of the Student Media Center, won second place for general excellence at the Mississippi Press Association’s O.C. McDavid Journalism Conference luncheon, held in Jackson on March 24. The newspaper also won staff awards for Best Design, Best Website, Best Graphics and Best Use of Social Media. Staff members swept the “Use of Video” category, winning all three awards. During a live-streamed “Best of the South” annual awards presentation on March 25, the Southeast Journalism Conference chose SMTV, SM2’s weekly television news program, as its third-best newscast and the Student Printz as its fourth-best newspaper. At the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters’ annual Excellence in Broadcasting awards banquet in Jackson on April 2, both WUSM-FM’s weekly sports program, “4th Street Sports,” and SMTV’s weekly sports recap show each won first, second and third place awards.
Altogether, SM2 students won nine awards from the Southeast Journalism Conference “Best of the South” contest, 15 from the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters and 23 from the Mississippi Press Association. Top individual winners included Charlie Luttrell, SM2 Executive News Director, who won four awards from the Mississippi Press Association and one each from the Southeast Journalism Conference and the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters. SM2 Sports Director Austin Lindsey won six awards from the Mississippi Press Association and the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters.
Other individual winners in the Mississippi Press Association contest were Mary Murphy, second place, General News Story; Charlie Luttrell, third place, Sports News Story; Charles Arnold, second place, Sports Feature Story; Brian Winters, second place, Feature Story; Charlie Luttrell, first place, General News Photo; Sean Smith, second place, Spot News Photo; Charlie Luttrell, first place, Sports Photo; Sean Smith, third place, Sports Photo; Charlie Luttrell, second place, Feature Photo; Austin Lindsey, third place, Feature Photo, Garrett Grove, third place, Series or Investigative Package; Mary Murphy, first place, Editorials; Dipin Subedi, second place, Editorials; Austin Lindsey, first place, Advertisement; Larensy Rogers, second place, Advertisement; Marissa Haas, second place, Graphics; Sarah Kofman, first place, Use of Video; Dima Mixon, second place, Use of Video; Garret Grove, third place, Use of Video.
Individual winners in the Southeast Journalism Conference “Best of the South” contest were Mary Murphy, first place, Best Newspaper Layout and Design; Sarah Kofman, third place, Best TV Feature Reporter; Koby Moore, second place, Best Radio Journalist; Charlie Luttrell, third place, Best Sports Writer; Sean Smith, second place, Best Photographer; and Joseph Weishaar, third place, Best Artist/Illustrator; and Larensy Rogers, second place, Best Advertisement.
Other individual winners of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters’ annual Excellence in Broadcasting awards were Scarlett Gully, two first-place awards for a pair of Radio Feature Stories; Garret Grove, a first place, second place and third place awards for Television TV Reporter, Radio News Story, and Television Continuing Coverage, respectively; Koby Moore, first place, Radio Sports Story; Sarah Kofman, second place, Television Feature Story; Charlie Luttrell, first place, Television Sports Story; and Austin Lindsey, second place, Television Sports Story, and two firsts and a second-place for Television Sportscast.
“Congratulations to our Southern Miss Student Media Center professionals – Chuck Cook, Wilbur Martin, and Jonathan McGowan – for their amazing work with the students. Nothing happens without them,” said Simpson.
The Southern Miss Student Media Center is the voice of USM students. This is where students collaborate with professional staff and their faculty advisers to create, inspire and inform. It is made up of five divisions: The Student Printz weekly newspaper and website; SMTV and its weekly television news program; WUSM-FM radio with 24-hour programming that includes a daily, one-hour news program; and SM2 Creative which handles video production, live-streaming and graphic design; and SM2 Strategic Communication that includes advertising sales, social media and marketing.
