Journal places in three award categories for CCNAs

The Journal was awarded one first-place finish and two second-place finishes at the 2006 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards on Monday, tying Wilfrid Laurier’s The Cord Weekly for the most top-three finishes by a Canadian campus newspaper.

“We were proud of the work we did, and wanted to put ourselves out there to see how our work compared with other newspapers,” said Matthew Trevisan, Journal editor in chief. “It’s nice to see where we stand with regard to other newspapers across the country.”

This was the first year the Journal entered the competition. The campus division of the competition consists of four categories: Outstanding Campus Newspaper, Best Campus News Story, Best Campus Feature Story and Best Campus Photography. Assistant photo editor B. Shiva Mayer placed first in the photography category for his front-page photo of a student during last September’s Homecoming party on Aberdeen Street. The student was mugging for the camera with his red plastic cup and his popcorn bag. News editor Anna Mehler Paperny placed second in the news category for the first of a series of articles regarding the death of Sukaina Ali, a first-year international student who died of a heart attack in her residence room last April. Assistant news editor Florence Li placed second in the feature category for her breakdown of the University’s ethnicity data, the first of a three-part series the Journal published last November. The Cord Weekly won first place in the Outstanding Campus Newspaper category, whose entries were judged according to quality of writing, photography, design and layout, print quality and advertising. Mars’ Hill the bi-monthly campus paper at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C., placed second. Imprint, the University of Waterloo’s paper, placed third.

Journalists from the Algonquin Times, the newspaper published by print journalism students at Algonquin College, won first place for Best Campus News Story and Best Campus Feature Story.

The CC NA will provide published criticism to its entrants and a breakdown of scoring after its onvention on May 11. “Good constructive criticism allows next year’s volume to take a look at what we’ve done and go from there to improve the quality of the Journal,” Trevisan said. “We put ourselves out there for feedback.” Meanwhile, two former Journal editors in chief received a National Newspaper award nomination last Friday. Globe and Mail writers Greg McArthur—2001-02 Journal editor in chief—and Omar El Akkad—-2004-05 Journal editor in chief—were nominated for their investigative work on the 18 terrorist suspects arrested last July in Toronto. The National Newspaper Awards will be handed out in Winnipeg, Man., on May 11.