Archive » IU tops Hearst program’s writing contest » Indiana University School of Journalism

Jessica Birthisel | April 25, 2010

Photo by Jessica Birthisel

Some of the Hearst Journalism Award winners gathered Tuesday to celebrate IU’s first place standing in the national competition. From left are Lauren Clason, Sarah Hutchins, Rachel Stark, CJ Lotz, Caitlin Johnston, Matt Dollinger and Brian Spegele.

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The topics ranged from bathroom stall scrawls to late-night diner shifts to the roller coaster world of freshman dorm life, but advisers say the stories were bolstered by the same journalistic pillars: good reporting, tenacity and drive.

School of Journalism faculty and student media advisers gathered Tuesday for a celebratory dinner with the students responsible for Indiana University’s recent first place finish in the Hearst Journalism Awards Intercollegiate Writing Competition.

School of Journalism Dean Brad Hamm, describing IU’s first place finish as “amazing,” likened the award to bringing home a national championship in journalism. The award is given to the school that accumulates the most points in a series of competitions focusing on different types of media.

Junior Rachel Stark, one of eight national finalists who will represent Indiana University in New York City June 8-12, said her decision to submit her story “Writings on the Stall” to the competition was last minute, but it paid off with a second place finish in the editorial division. The story originally was written for an independent study with Riley Endowed Chair in Journalism Tom French, and it was French who informed Stark of her win in December.

“I just started jumping up and down,” Stark recalled, smiling. Though traditionally only first place finishers in each category advance to the finals, second place finishers advance when the first place winner is a graduating student, which was the case in Stark’s category.

As part of the final round of competition in June, Stark will write three articles: a personality profile, a news story based on a group interview and a spot news piece. In preparation, Stark says French has been sending her out to cover spot news in Dunn Meadow.

Senior Brian Spegele won third place in feature writing for his INsider magazine piece, “Rising with the Pack,” about freshman dorm life.

“I was really shocked,” Spegele said of his win. His story originally ran in the October issue of INside magazine.

Spegele says he isn’t exactly sure what it was about his story that resonated with judges, but he tried to capture “the growth mixed with the madness” that defines life in a dorm. Another story by Spegele, a profile on a racecar driver in Bedford, Ind., took 11th place in the profile category.

Stark and Spegele are only two of the 10 students who competed in the competition, which limits entries to two per institution per writing category: features, editorials, in-depth, sports, personality/profile and spot news. Other top finishers included Caitlin Johnston, who won third place in personality/profile writing; Sarah Hutchins and Lauren Clason, who placed fifth and eighth in the spot news category; and CJ Lotz, who finished ninth in the in-depth writing category.

National Sports Journalism Program Director Tim Franklin described the win as a testament to persistence, focus and striving.

“When you leave this place, strive to be the best,” said Franklin, “because you really can be the best.”

Pulitzer Prize-winner French, who worked one-on-one with students on many of the award-winning stories, said the real success is that students told important stories in engaging ways. The external validation is the bonus.

“An official stamp of validation never hurts,” said French, who praised the students for their hard work and diligence in terms of producing draft after draft of their competition stories. “Not letting go. Persistence. Tenacity. Everyone did it and it was spectacular to watch. I’m in awe of what you all did.”

IDS adviser Ruth Witmer said the national award reinforced what she already knew about the School of Journalism students.

“The truth is, our students are doing great work all the time,” said Witmer, saying she couldn’t be prouder of the students. “These awards just verify what we already know.”

Throughout the extended competition process, schools received monthly updates about their current rankings. Witmer said IU consistently worked its way up the ranks each month before finally finishing in first place, something everyone involved said they were excited to watch.

“We tried to tell ourselves, second or third’s not bad. We didn’t want to jinx it,” IU Student Media Director Ron Johnson remembered. “But darn it, we wanted it.”

“It was awesome to watch the excitement grow,” added French, who jokingly thanked Witmer for her office’s endless supply of candy. “As I got more nervous, I was eating exponentially more sugar.”

It was just over 30 years that French himself won a Hearst award for feature writing. His then-classmate, now colleague Tim Franklin told the story of staffers snickering at one of French’s story ideas: a pig.

Not only did the story go on to win a Hearst award for French, but it led to his first post-graduation job at The St. Petersburg Times, where he worked 27 years.

“It was a teachable moment,” said Frankin. “You can make damn near anything interesting.”

French said this year, as part of the Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s 50th anniversary, the organization contacted former winners, asking them to reflect on their career paths and to learn what winning the award meant to them. French said it was special to be able to reflect on his own experience with the competition as well as celebrate his students’ success.

“It was nice to come full circle this year,” said French.

All students who placed in the top 10 for the divisions win a cash prize and their institutions receive a matching donation. Additionally, Indiana University earns $10,000 and a medallion for winning first place.

The other top nine schools, in order, were Northwestern University, Arizona State University, University of Missouri, University of Oregon, Pennsylvania State University, University of Georgia, University of Montana, University of Kentucky and University of Iowa.