Daily Universe to be recognized at national awards ceremony

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BYU has proven to be among the nation’s finest academic institutions in years past, and the print journalism department will carry that torch again in September.

The Daily Universe has won a number of awards in this year’s National Newspaper Association Annual Convention and Trade Show, to be held in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Daily Universe has won awards in the recent past. Ed Carter, a professor of journalism in the department of communications, remembers specific awards The Daily Universe won recently.

“One thing I’m anxious to see is how we do in the overall general excellence category for college newspapers,” Carter said. “In 2008 and 2010, we won first place in general excellence. This year we know we’re in the top four but we won’t find out until September exactly which place we are in.”

Kaye Nelson, the editorial lab manager for The Daily Universe, shed some light on what the paper is up against each year.

“We enter several contests each year and our paper holds its own against much larger metropolitan newspapers and other college newspapers,” Nelson said. “The entire communications staff from professors to DU staff to student reporters play a part in the quality of what gets published.”

Nelson mentioned that The Daily Universe won 18 different awards this year.

Tiffany Wallace, a former Daily Universe reporter, won an award for the best business feature story which she wrote during the Winter 2011 semester.

“The Cocoa Bean was coming to Provo and so I wanted to do a story on it,” Wallace said. “The Cocoa Bean has kind of a coffee shop atmosphere, but it is not a coffee shop and so it was a good alternative for students that didn’t drink coffee. So, I won an award because they liked that I took a new angle on local business in Provo.”

Nelson attributed the awards won to the work created by students of a high caliber like Wallace, as well as work by the designers and photographers.

Carter noted the variety of awards won by The Daily Universe this year.

“It is nice for students to be recognized for their great work that they do,” Carter said. “It is validiation of the fact that other journalists around the country have recognized that The Daily Universe has achieved a certain level of quality, writing, reporting, photography, design and advertising.”

Carter said he hopes this year’s awards will aid future students aspiring to be journalists to consider BYU’s print journalism program.

“We do occassionally have students who also come to BYU specifically because they are interested in journalism and they want to be a part of the journalism program,” Carter said.

Wallace agreed with Carter’s assessment of The Daily Universe as a quality product.

“The Daily Universe really is a great publication,” Wallace said. “It is great for students to learn writing skills. When The Daily Universe wins awards, it is a credit to the students that are working on it, the editors and the people who put together a story.”

Wallace acknowledged what winning this award could mean for her future career and that other students could have the chance to receive the same benefits.

“It does make it look like you put a lot of effort into your story,” Wallace said. “I did put a lot of effort into that story and I was really proud of it, so it was great to see someone else appreciate the work that I put together and that I really enjoyed doing.”

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