The Pitt News wins Keystone Press awards

The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association awarded The Pitt News top prizes and honorable mentions for seven stories and design pieces published in 2015 in six categories Wednesday.

The PNA’s 2016 Student Keystone Press Awards recognized “high school and college journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers,” in the state of Pennsylvania, according to its website. The Pitt News competed in the Division 1 bracket of the contest, which included four-year colleges and universities with enrollment of 10,000 or more.

In addition to Pitt, judges awarded pieces from newspapers and media organizations at Penn State University, Temple University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

To qualify for the awards, the schools had to publish their entries between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2015. Five current and former members of The Pitt News won two first place awards, two second place awards and three honorable mentions, each in separate categories.

In the news category, Mark Pesto received an honorable mention for his investigative piece “Communication Breakdown: Finkelstein’s Fury,” which revealed why Pitt disinvited scholar Norman Finkelstein from speaking on campus. Pesto is a former staff writer for The Pitt News and graduated in December.

In the feature story category, Pesto also received an honorable mention for his story “Don’t Forget the Answers: A Telefact Retrospective,” for his story about Pitt’s former question-and-answer hotline service.

In the category for reviews, Courtney Linder won first place for her review of Brett Morgen’s documentary “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” titled “The World of Kurt Cobain.” Linder is The Pitt News’ former assistant opinions editor and is currently an arts and entertainment intern at Pittsburgh City Paper.

For the cartoon and graphic illustration category, Victor Gonzalez won first place for his caricature of Paul Ryan, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. In the same category, Gonzalez also won second place for his illustration, “Who Makes a Better James Bond.” Gonzalez is currently a staff illustrator for The Pitt News.

For the personality profile category, Dale Shoemaker won second place for his piece on Ophelia Ferguson, a cashier at Pitt’s main dining hall, Market Central. Shoemaker is currently the news editor at The Pitt News.

In the layout and design category, Theo Schwarz received an honorable mention for his centerspread design, “Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice — Summer Recipes Centerspread.” Schwarz is The Pitt News’ former visual editor and is currently a senior staff photographer.

The PNA will honor award recipients at the Student Keystone Press Awards Luncheon during the America East Media Business and Technology Conference on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.