UW-River Falls Student Media Win Professional Recognition

March 3, 2014--Student journalists for the campus newspaper and radio station at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls have been recognized for their work by Wisconsin's two leading professional media organizations. 

Both the Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) held their annual conventions at the end of February. Among events at the convention were ceremonies awarding the best in professional and student journalism in the state. 

In the Collegiate Better Newspaper Contest sponsored by the WNA Foundation, the "Student Voice" won three awards for articles published in 2013. The weekly newspaper earned a first place for best editorial that chastised the Student Senate for not representing students professionally. Ashley (Goettl) Hanley, who graduated last year and now works as a reporter for KEYC-TV in Mankato, Minn., earned second place in general reporting for her story about a UWRF professor acquitted of a sexual assault charge. Jonathan Reid, a professional writing major, earned third place in column writing for his remembrance of Professor Meseret Reta, a journalism adjunct faculty member who died of cancer in November 2012. 

In the WBA Student Awards for Excellence, a former and a current reporter for WRFW-FM 88.7 were honored for their radio news reports. Christopher Liermann, a 2013 graduate who majored in journalism, earned first place for a sports story about the UWRF swimming and diving team's effort to find a new coach. Liermann was also awarded first place for sports programming for radio with his hockey pre-game show. Journalism major Maddie Berg's story on the opening of  "CHICAGO The Musical" on the UWRF campus received second place recognition. 

The "Student Voice" and WRFW are student-run campus media organizations supported primarily by student fees and advised by faculty in the Journalism Department. The faculty advisor for the "Student Voice" is Associate Professor Andris Straumanis and Professor Sandy Ellis, chair of the Journalism Department, is advisor to WRFW. More information about UWRF student media can be found at https://www.uwrf.edu/JOUR/StudentMedia. 

For more information, contact Ellis at 715-425-3169 or sandra.ellis@uwrf.edu, or Straumanis at andris.straumanis@uwrf.edu.