Being a college newspaper is hard. There are funding concerns seemingly every year, current attacks from government officials trying to limit student journalism and the fact that we live in a changing digital world often kills student journalism. However, despite that, the Doane Owl and numerous other college newspapers in the Midwest continued the storied tradition of writing and documenting life at their universities.
This year, the Owl submitted multiple articles, pictures, graphics and issues to the Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association’s Golden Leaf awards and walked away with numerous third and second place finishes, including a second place finish for best overall newspaper and a first place in best column (which we label as opinion).
The Northern Plains Collegiate Media Association includes Bethel College, Chadron State College, Concordia University, Doane University, Peru State College, Black Hills State University and the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The fact that amongst all these colleges, we managed multiple top-three finishes speaks to our strengths as a staff, a staff that is made up largely of students who are young and new to student journalism.
We don’t make stories for the awards, but what they do is remind us that the work we are doing matters and is important. It’s not often that you are able to be rewarded for your work in student journalism; sometimes it can feel like you’re screaming into the void without recognition. But these awards and, more importantly, the kind words we get from all of you readers keep us motivated to the task at hand.
While we only have one more issue left after this one, this is a reminder that we will continue to serve Doane and its community. Thank you for continuing to support the Owl!
