Southeastern's student newspaper earns media awards
by: Rene Abadie
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University's student newspaper, "The Lions Roar," earned several awards – including multiple first place honors -- from competitions sponsored by the Louisiana Press Association (LPA) and the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Media Editors.
The awards were presented at both organizations' annual conferences held recently in Biloxi, Miss.
In the LPA competition, "The Lion's Roar" captured second place in the General Excellence Category and took two first place awards for photography. Recent graduate Chris Martin of Albany was awarded top honors for Best Sports Photo, while Melanie Mann of St. Francisville took first place for Best News Photo.
"The staff works to put our best foot forward each week, so it is an honor to have our hard work recognized by the Louisiana Press Association," said Sara Patrick of Houma, editor in chief of The Lion's Roar. "We are always working to improve everyone's skills to produce a high quality newspaper for campus and the local community. We intend to continue improving our skills and the overall newspaper to better serve our readers."
Martin also earned a third place award for the Most Effective Use of Graphic Design on a Single Page, while recent graduate and former editor Nick Bejeaux of Denham Springs was awarded third place for Best Regular Column.
"It's an honor to receive these awards in photography and design. The LPA's collegiate division is filled with talented and dedicated student journalists from all over the state, and to have my work recognized among my peers is truly special," said Martin, former assistant editor. "I look forward to my professional career knowing that the experience I have gained while at Student Publications has given me the tools to succeed," said Chris Martin, former assistant editor.
In the College Division of the AP competition, Martin took first and second place awards in the sports photo competition, and first place in feature photos.
Allison Crady of Pleasant View, Tenn., took third place in the College Enterprise/Investigative Category for her feature "Rise in heroin deaths attributed to new laws." The staff of the newspaper, led by Editor Sara Patrick, was recognized with third place in the website competition.
"It is an honor to have 'The Lion's Roar' website recognized," said Patrick. "The website has undergone big changes, and we are working to make it an even easier and more visually-appealing way for people to get the latest campus news."
Crady noted that she enjoyed doing the in-depth investigative report. "The article delves into the recent issues with heroin-related deaths," she said. "Through interviews with coroners, police officers and a detective, the story provides some possible answers for causes related to this increase."
"Earning recognition from these well respected organizations reinforces what we already knew about our talented Southeastern students," said Director of Student Publications Lee E. Lind. "They are bright, skilled and driven young men and women who are preparing to do great things after they graduate. We couldn't be prouder of their work and hard effort."
"The Lion's Roar" can be found online at lionsroarnews.com.
