University wins big at Associated Press conference

Posted on Mar 26 2017 - 1:51pm by DM Staff

The university’s Student Media Center brought home 13 first place awards as well as two Best in Show awards at the Louisiana-Mississippi Associate Press college conference Saturday in Jackson.

The conference comprises nearly 300 entries from 10 colleges in 36 categories.

The Daily Mississippian won first place in the college general excellence category and first place for college news website. Judges said of the general excellence entry, “This defines general excellence. Great content, strong design throughout. Excellent investigative piece, as well as a fun festival guide. Great job!”

Members of The Daily Mississippian, NewsWatch Ole Miss and RebelRadio pose for a photo with Student Media Director and Assistant Dean Pat Thompson in Jackson at the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Media Editors conference. (Photo: Jake Thrasher)

Members of The Daily Mississippian, NewsWatch Ole Miss and RebelRadio pose for a photo with Student Media Director and Assistant Dean Pat Thompson in Jackson at the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Media Editors conference. (Photo: Jake Thrasher)

The DM’s staff won breaking/spot news division for its coverage of a protest in the Lyceum in fall 2016. Sports editor Brian Scott Rippee won the sports enterprise/feature division; photography co-editor Cameron Brooks won the sports photography category; Jake Thrasher won in the personal columns division. Ariel Cobbert, co-editor of photography, placed second in the feature photo division.

Editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian Clara Turnage won Best of Show in the newspaper division, as well as the investigative reporting and feature writing divisions. Judges called her investigative reporting entry “a clear winner. Heads above all the rest in terms of depth and sophistication.”

NewsWatch Ole Miss won first place for its sportscast program and a documentary class production won in the documentary TV category. NewsWatch placed second and third in the College Newscast category and placed in the College TV news category.

Rebel Radio won the college radio sports, college radio news and college radio documentary categories and placed in college radio news, college radio sports and college radio feature divisions.

Rebel Radio’s Billy Rainey won the Best of Show in the radio division. Judges called one of his entries “a terrific example of taking such a sensitive topic as sexual assault and making it vital for a college campus.”

In total, the university received 25 awards.