Crimson Wins Two Awards from Society of Professional Journalists

Student Newspaper Recognized for In-Depth, General News Reporting

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology’s student-run newspaper, the Crimson, won 2014 regional Mark of Excellence awards for in-depth reporting and general news reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists.

A story by David Barkholz on athletic recruiting won for in-depth reporting.

Drew Lacy’s story investigating SGA balloting won for general news reporting.

Lacy and Barkholz graduated from Florida Tech in May 2014 with bachelor’s degrees in communication.

Both awards, which were announced April 1, were in the Region 3 “Small” category of schools with up to 9,999 students. In addition to Florida, Region 3 includes Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

This marks the second straight year the SPJ has recognized the work of the student journalists at the Crimson.

The stories will now compete against winners from 11 other regions for the National Mark of Excellence Award. Judges for the competition are professional journalists from outside of the competing states.

“The work the reporters at the Crimson do has real value to the Florida Tech student body,” said Ted Petersen, an assistant professor of communication at the university and faculty adviser for the newspaper. “Each year the staff gets stronger and more ambitious. I am proud of their work.”

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