A thank you note from the Newswire staffto our fellow Xavier Musketeers

By newswire editorial staff

Newswire won five awards in the Ohio News Media Association’s (ONMA) Collegiate Newspaper & Website Competition in March, a major point of pride for our writing and editing staff as well as our advisor. For this reason, we want to thank the ONMA board for our high esteem as a campus news outlet and the Xavier community for providing us with a chance to produce outstanding content each week. 

ONMA is a trade organization that represents all of Ohio’s daily newspapers and was established in 1938. Each year, they give out awards in 10 categories to recognize the achievements of student news outlets. In 2020, they also added the category of coronavirus coverage. 

The Newswire thanks its community for allowing us to exceed in all areas, but particularly in the areas that led to the following awards:

1st place in Coronavirus Coverage 

“Remote learning brings questions” by Kevin Thomas, 2019-2020 Editor-in-Chief

“Feature: Xavier alum in Italy lockdown” by alum and former World News Editor Savin Mattozzi

“National Guard deployed to quarantined New Rochelle, NY” by Charlie Gstalder, 2020-2021 Opinions and Editorials Editor

“Do your part in flattening the curve” by Andrew Zerman, 2019-2021 Staff Writer

“Students share their voices from an empty campus” by Joseph Cotton, 2020-2021 Campus News Editor

“Editorial: fiat justitia, ruat caelum” by Alex Budzynski, 2020-2021 Managing Editor 

“XU plans for an atypical semester” by Hunter Ellis and Heather Gast, 2020-2021 Multimedia Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief

1st place in Opinion Writing 

“Educate X on Violence against women” by Mo Juenger, 2020-2021 World News Editor

“Exacerbating economic inequalities” by Mo Juenger, 2020-2021 World News Editor

“Support beyond the big picture” by Mo Juenger, 2020-2021 World News Editor 

2nd in Sports Coverage

Luke Feliciano, 2019-2020 Sports Editor

Joe Clark, 2020-2021 Sports Editor

3rd place in News Coverage

Alex Budzynski, 2019-2020 Campus News Editor and 2020-20201 Acting Editor-in-Chief

Joseph Cotton, 2020-2021 Campus News Editor

Jack Dunn, 2019-2020 World News Editor

Mo Juenger, 2020-2021 World News Editor

3rd place in In-depth Reporting 

“A day in the life of a Cincy protestor” by Mo Juenger, 2020-2021 World News Editor

We could not have, however, won these awards on our own. So, as an organization, we have a few people to thank.

First, we would like to thank all of the people who have helped us document this newsworthy year and the many students who took the time to speak to a Newswire writer. From Seriah Barnes who talked to us about the march for racial justice in September that she helped organize, to Luke Obermeier who gave us his opinion on the return to campus earlier this year, thank you for lending us your voice. To those pictured in photo-ops and to student athletes and workers who were featured throughout our pages, we thank you.

Secondly, we would like to thank the administrators who allow us the journalistic freedom to pursue the stories that we feel are so important. At many universities, campus newspapers are required to have their content approved by the administration. We are lucky to have a university that is so supportive of what we do. We have also had several open and honest conversations with upper-level administrators who have been more than open and available to answer the tough questions we ask them. We worked closely with Vice President of Risk Management Jeff Coleman and the rest of the COVID-19 Task Force on many stories which played a part in our award for coronavirus coverage.

And finally, we would like to thank the students who read our articles when they arrive in your inbox and on the newsstands around campus. Even if you just read the front, sports, or even your horoscope, we still appreciate your readership. We’d like to thank the community members who listen to our radio shows and podcasts. It is with your support that we are afforded the learning opportunities that have allowed us to grow as journalists, students, and Xavier Musketeers. 

The Newswire will continue to serve the needs of the Xavier campus, bringing the important news to the people, uplifting student voices and sharing in the pride of the community, all for one X. We couldn’t do it without your support. 

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1st place in Coronavirus coverage. 

Great set of stories. solid quotes. nice flow. good mix of traditional and out-of-the-box angles on COVID-19. 

1st place in opinion writing 

Educate X on Violence against women 

2nd in sports coverage

3rd place in News coverage

Steady professional effort 

3rd place in In-depth reporting

Great reporting that put a human face on one of the summer’s protestors. The reporter broke down the stereotype of a young activist and helped the reader understand the motivation and experiences of the subject