Technician staffers win SCJ awards

The Society for Collegiate Journalists confirmed winners for the 2008 contest, although some winners were announced at it’s biennial convention held March 13 – 15 at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. Four NCSU students were among the students recognized. In addition to the individual recognition, the Technician placed first for overall excellence in the category including newspapers published more frequently than weekly. N.C. State chapter winners were as follows:

• Saja Hindi, Technician, honorable mention, news stories, “SG Overspends Budget by Thousands”
• Tyler Dukes, Technician, honorable mention, feature writing, “Breaking Down the Other White Meat”
• Clark Leonard, Technician, first place, sports news, “Games to Air on FM Radio After Switch”
• Clark Leonard, Technician, honorable mention, sports features, “O’Brien Looks Forward” and “Rising Salaries a Concern”
• Kathryn Graf, Technician, second place, graphic illustration, “Hatred or Harassment?”
• Kathryn Graf, Technician, third place, inside page design, soft news, “Hatred or Harassment”
• Saja Hindi, WKNC-FM, first place, broadcast news, “88.1 Seconds of Technician”

Contest entries are judged by professional print and broadcast journalists from around the US. Judges’ comments included:

• Technician: “Strong layout and presentation throughout editions. None of the editions looked the same, which means designs are fresh and layout staff is doing new things. Campus calendar and backtracks are good, useful page 2 features. Stories are strong and well written.”
• Saja Hindi, “88.1 Seconds of Technician,” Fast-paced delivery and to-the-point news. There’s not much you can do in 88.1 seconds, but you cover the bases. It’s a nice newscast. Kudos to Saja Hindi, who has excellent delivery and a very good on-air presence.”