SPJ Awards | Graphic created by Dylan Collison | The Wright State Guardian
Clare O’Toole and Nicolas BenVenuto contributed to this article
The Wright State Guardian Media Group and two of its former staff received awards Wednesday from Ohio’s Best Journalism Contest. The contest is sponsored by the Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) chapters across the state, with a total of 472 entries submitted and 239 awards announced on Sept. 30.
The Wright State Guardian Media Team placed first in the Best College Newspaper – Daily category. This award is given to the best student newspaper or publication published regularly (3 or more times a week).
Former Wright State Guardian News Editor Marissa Couch received second place in Best College Feature Writing for her ‘Dayton’s Not Dead’ piece on Reza’s. This recognition goes to the college journalist who shows the most promise as a feature writer through published or aired stories.
Former Wright State Guardian Editor-in-Chief Sarah Cavender won second place in Best College News Writing for her article detailing the aftermath of the Jan. 2019 Wright State University faculty union strike. This distinction is awarded to the college journalist who shows the most promise as a news writer through published or aired stories.
On her award and that of The Wright State Guardian Media Group, Cavender said,
“It is such an incredible honor to see the hard work of the students in the Guardian pay off. Wright State has no journalism program and students coming into this organization oftentimes without a newsroom background. I am so proud of the 2019-2020 team; they came in on day 1 and dedicated their time and energy toward informing their community. It makes me so happy to see that work being recognized in more places [and] I have every bit of confidence that it will only continue to be an award winning work. I want to send my congratulations to the former team but also the current team. My career would not have been possible if it weren’t for my start at the G, or the influential mentors I had at Wright State such as Ray Marcano and Debbie Lamp.”
Current Guardian Editor-in-Chief Makenzie Hoeferlin was ecstatic to hear the news.
“I am so incredibly proud of both the former and current staff of The Guardian and so grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside these award-winning student journalists. The Guardian continues to be blessed with talented and dedicated students who put their heart and soul into this organization and it is so great to see their hard work being recognized. I am so thankful to everyone who has contributed to The Guardian and cannot wait to see all of the things we accomplish in the future.”
Marissa Couch is honored to win the award and thankful for Cavender’s leadership.
“Working with The Guardian team was rewarding enough in itself, but I’m honored to have been recognized by SPJ. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our amazing staff,” said Marissa Couch. “Former EIC, Sarah Cavender saw something in me that I had no idea I possessed. I’m so proud to have been a part of such an impactful team and I will continue to cheer them on from the sidelines as they deliver news to our campus.”
