The Daily Beacon Earns Regional Journalism Accolades At SEJC
The Daily Beacon Editor-in-Chief Abby Ann Ramsey and Managing Editor Bella Hughes accepting the second place award for the Beacon at the 2024 Southeast Journalism Conference.
The Daily Beacon won multiple awards last month at the 2024 Southeast Journalism Conference, including placing top three in the best sports writer and best newspaper categories.
The annual conference brings together student journalists in a variety of media disciplines from states across the Southeast such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
A highlight of the conference each year is the announcement of the winners of the “Best of the South” contest, which recognizes the best student journalist work from the past year.
Sports Editor and sophomore journalism and media major Caleb Jarreau won first place for Best Sports Writer and finished fifth overall in the Journalist of the Year category.
Jarreau said it feels good to win but a lot of it goes back to the efforts the Beacon staff have put in this past year to really advance the student-run publication.
“I want to be better than I was last year and the year before that,” Jarreau said. “I feel like we’re on that path with the way our sports section is going and we are producing a ton of good content.”
The Beacon finished second in the Best Newspaper category at the conference.
“I think second place in the Best Newspaper category is definitely one of the most exciting awards that we took away over the weekend,” Editor-in-Chief and senior journalism and media major Abby Ann Ramsey said. “I think it just shows how much we all put in as a newsroom. It is not just an award for one person or writer. It showcases what we all did.”
She added design editor and sophomore graphic design major Emma Fingeret has played a significant role in producing the newspaper this year, and she believes Fingeret design contributed significantly to the Beacon securing second place.
Other top-10 finishes in the Best of the South competition for the Beacon include photographer Edward Cruz finishing in sixth place in the Best Photographer category and Ramsey finishing in eighth place in the Best News Writer category.
Ramsey said the results from this year’s Best of South competition were encouraging as the Beacon seeks to continue to grow and expand its presence on campus and throughout the local Knoxville community. She said over the past year they have done a lot to improve recruitment and training of writers and expand local coverage and visibility of the newspaper.
“A lot of college newspapers don’t have the privilege of printing once, even once a week,” Ramsey said. “So, it’s something that we do take a lot of pride in and we really like that we are still able to print.”
Beacon staff also placed in the on-site competition. Assistant Professor Michael Martinez said students were challenged in various categories to work in real-time and with limited ability to prepare on different assignments.
Jarreau won first place for sports writing. Eli Boldt, news editor and senior journalism and media major, won second place for news writing, and Bella Hughes, managing editor and junior advertising, placed third for arts and entertainment writing.
“It was ‘trial by fire’ and I am very proud of how well the Beacon editors/reporters performed,” Martinez said. “I am truly excited about the future of this newspaper and student media on this campus.”
Students also networked with their peers from other higher education institutions and heard from award-winning CNN broadcast journalist Tom Foreman.
“When it comes to student media professional development has the opportunity to change not just the student experiencing it, but their peers as well,” Kylie Irvine, advisor for the Office of Student Media, said. “Students who attend conferences such as these learn from other leaders and peers and bring that knowledge back to the newsroom. With support from the School of Journalism and Media, our students are participating in exciting opportunities, setting them up for success post-graduation.”
The Daily Beacon Earns Regional Journalism Accolades At SEJC written by Ernest Rollins and originally published on the College of Communication & Information site.