University of Arkansas Journalism Students Earn Coveted State, National Awards

Photo Submitted

Award-winning cover design by Logan Webster

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two students from the Walter J. Lemke department of journalism in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas recently received honors for their work in sports reporting and newspaper design. In the category of Sports Writing, senior Jimmy Carter took first place in the national Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards and was named a national finalist for the Hearst Award. Freshman Logan Webster finished first in the Arkansas Press Association’s 2012 Better Newspaper Advertising Contest.

“Obviously we are proud of both Jimmy and Logan,” said Dale Carpenter, chair of the Lemke department of journalism. “It reminds us that we have excellent students who compete very well on a national level.”

Carter’s Hearst Award, what Carpenter calls the “Pulitzer Prize for college journalists,” is one of only 10 recognized in its category by the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Carter finished seventh nationwide for his story about the oft-injured Razorbacks running back, Knile Davis, a story Carter said he worked on for more than two months. The story first appeared last October in the Arkansas Traveler, the university’s student-run newspaper.

Carter’s story has become news in its own right after receiving the Mark of Excellence Award, making it the best piece of sports writing in the country, according to the Society of Professional Journalists.

“It’s unique for a sports story because it isn’t just about sports,” Carter said. “You don’t have to like sports to like this story. It’s a powerful story because of everything Knile overcame and the way he overcame it.

“Most of the time you see popular athletes getting in trouble, but Knile’s story showed Arkansas fans that one of their favorite players has an amazing work ethic and toughness,” he said. Carter’s story is available on the Arkansas Traveler website.

Bret Schulte, Carter’s professor, praised Carter for his “exceptional storytelling and reporting gifts.”

“Jimmy’s got a knack for story structure and is great at capturing scenes,” Schulte said. “While it is gratifying to see our students win, by no means are we satisfied. We’ll continue to push our students to compete nationally against the best programs in the country.”

Webster, a freshman who has only just begun his journalism education, was awarded first place by the Arkansas Press Association in the category of Special Selection Covers among medium-sized weekly newspapers – a contest for professional journalists, not students.

Webster’s winning cover design was for a special edition of the Nashville News to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of a local Coca-Cola bottling company. Webster said he was honored when Mike Graves, an alumnus of the university and co-owner and publisher of Graves Publishing Co. where Webster worked, chose his design to enter in the contest.

“Mr. Graves allowed me to get experience in a little bit of everything,” Webster said. “My title was photographer, but I wrote and edited, designed the ads, was in charge of commissioning the ads – I didn’t specialize in any one thing. In that kind of setting you’re exposed to so much.”  

Though the focus of his journalism major is news and editorial, Webster is continuing to develop his photography skills by working for the Arkansas Traveler and the Razorback yearbook, as well as the university’s athletic department. Additional photos and features he did working for Graves are currently entered in other Arkansas Press Association contests, and he hopes to receive awards in other categories.

Carter and Webster are two of several University of Arkansas journalism students who recently received honors for their work. Lemke students were finalists in 14 of 31 contests in the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence awards for Region 12. The Region 12 competition includes all four-year colleges and universities in the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. Lemke department students won six first place awards in these contests.

“Awards like these give credibility to our department,” Carpenter said. “They indicate that our faculty’s high expectation for students in journalism classes is paying off.”