The Shorthorn sweeps national awards for college journalism
The Shorthorn, the student-run newspaper at The University of Texas at Arlington, won the top prize in collegiate journalism from two different student media associations during a national college journalism virtual convention.
- The staff won the Pacemaker Award in two categories, newspaper and online, for both the weekly print edition and the website, theshorthorn.com. The award is handed out by the Associated Collegiate Press.
- The Shorthorn took first place in the College Media Association’s Pinnacle awards in the four-year weekly newspaper category.
- The staff also earned national honors in the Associated Collegiate Press Convention’s Best of Show, scoring second place for the website and third place for the weekly print newspaper.
“Given how thoroughly and fairly The Shorthorn covers the University, I am not surprised at the recognition our student reporters are earning at a national level,” Interim President Teik C. Lim said. “The awards are a testament to the hard work and long hours our student journalists put in to keep the UTA community informed, and reflect well on the education and the support students receive from their faculty and adviser.”
In addition, The Shorthorn received 18 awards for individual students’ work in a range of categories, including social media reporting, editorial cartoons, feature stories and photography.
“As one of UTA’s oldest and most valuable student-led traditions, The Shorthorn’s incredible group of student and professional staffers did the University proud on a national scale with these awards,” said Will Parchman, director of student publications. “Fair, trustworthy journalism has never been more important, and everyone associated with UTA can hold their heads high knowing The Shorthorn is proudly carrying the banner for our community.”
The Shorthorn has been publishing since 1919 and has been online since 1997. Students have sole control over its content. They make the story assignments, do all the reporting, editing, photography and design, and determine if and when a story will run.
Shay Cohen—a UTA senior studying advertising—is the editor-in-chief, leading daily meetings and managing content deadlines.
“Everyone on staff knows the importance of their work during this time,” Cohen said. “From the pandemic to a pivotal presidential election to police protests to the deeper stories of how these issues affect the community, we work every single day to tell the stories and information that matter most to UTA and to Arlington.”
Though the staff has worked remotely because of COVID-19, Cohen said the sacrifices have been worthwhile.
“The awards are affirmation that our work is being seen by people and validation that our long nights in the office really pay off,” Cohen said.
