OU Daily earns 19 Oklahoma SPJ honors, including for First Amendment, investigative, government reporting | Ou Student Media

The employees of the OU Daily earned 19 honors Saturday night time on the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists’ banquet in Lawton. 

Competing in opposition to professionals, the Daily was offered the group’s high total honor, the 2022 Carter Bradley First Amendment Award, for work produced in 2021 that aimed to reset norms round transparency at OU and in Norman. Its profitable entry included tales that: 

• Broke down knowledge from the Norman Police Department to point out on a per capita foundation, town’s Black residents had been 3 times extra seemingly than their white neighbors to be contacted, arrested or have power used in opposition to them by the police.

• Examined how college handles information requests, including the response instances compared to different universities and assets accessible to the varsity’s information workplace.

• Monitored the soccer workforce’s quarterback controversy by way of the journalism college home windows close to the follow subject.

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The Daily additionally completed in second place for greatest newspaper, behind the Osage News. 

All honors earned spanned the tenures of spring 2021 editor Jordan Miller, summer season 2021 editor Jillian Taylor and fall 2021 editor Blake Douglas.

In particular person accolades, right here’s how Daily staffers fared: 

First-place honorees

Online particular report/enterprise reporting: Beth Wallis, Blake Douglas, Jillian Taylor, Ari Fife and Donna Edwards for “Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial.”

Online multimedia/podcast: Beth Wallis & Donna Edwards for “Destination: Greenwood.”

Online sports activities pictures: Trey Young for “Game Day.”

Online breaking/spot news pictures: Trey Young for “Venables arrives.”

Newspaper in-depth enterprise and investigative reporting: Blake Douglas for “OU open records access anything but ‘prompt, reasonable’ due to systemic flaws, vagaries of state law.”

Newspaper government reporting: Jillian Taylor for “How a seldom enforced capacity limit left residents locked out of contentious Norman City Council.” 

Newspaper function writing: Jillian Taylor for “Does God hate? 2SLGBTQ+ individuals seek affirmation, face religious condemnation.”

Newspaper sports activities function: Austin Curtright for “We never get football players in accounting’: As senior day nears, Pat Fields has aced every test, from captain of Sooners to advanced degrees.” 

Graphic illustration: Beth Wallis, Megan Foisy and Rachel Lobaugh for “100 Years.”

Second-place honorees

Online sports photography: Ray Bahner for “Sooners celebrate.”

Newspaper education reporting: Ari Fife for “Where Title IX ends and gray begins: OU case illustrates how federal guidelines limit screening, handling of previously accused employees.”

Third-place honorees

Breaking news reporting: Blake Douglas for “It came out because our prayers were real’: How Julius Jones’ life was spared, 7,154 days after conviction, hours before execution, minutes after deer emerged.” 

Community engagement: Blake Douglas, Jordan Hayden and Jillian Taylor for “OUDaily Curious Tip Form”

Editorial/commentary: Caroline Sparks for “An open letter to Gaylord College: Recruitment work must be paid work”

Diversity reporting: Blake Douglas for (*19*)

Newspaper sports activities reporting: Mason Young and Austin Curtright for “Caleb Williams takes majority of snaps with first team, Spencer Rattler still committed to team, father says.”

Newspaper sports feature: Mason Young for “Football, futures and finding one’s self: How Oklahoma shaped Mykel Jones beyond the hurricane moved Tulane game he’ll miss.”