OU Daily earns 9 honors in Oklahoma SPJ contest

OU Daily editors Jazz Wolfe, Jillian Taylor and Karoline Leonard interview OU President Joseph Harroz in May 2023.

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

OU Daily earns 9 honors in Oklahoma SPJ contest

Oct. 4, 2023

The staff of the OU Daily earned nine honors in the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists’ annual contest.

Competing against professionals in results announced last week, the Daily’s magazine and website earned third place and honorable mention honors, respectively, against professional media outlets in the state. Additionally, Daily staffers took individual honors in the following categories:

Profile reporting:

2nd — A piece by Mason Young (Oklahoma City) on OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel. “This would be an impressive profile by anyone,” judges wrote, “but to be written by a college journalist is amazing. The amount and depth of information led the pack in this category.”

Sports reporting:

2nd — Young’s piece on the meaning behind OU’s “Unity” jerseys.
3rd — A feature by Austin Curtright (Norman) on the tradition underlying OU-Nebraska’s renewed rivalry.
Honorable mention — Young’s piece on Cale Gundy’s actions posing the first major test of Bent Venables’ culture as OU football coach.

Sports photography:

2nd — A photo by Bob Nguyen (Moore, Oklahoma) of a shoeless Drake Stoops scoring a touchdown.
3rd — A photo by Ray Bahner (Fort Worth, Texas) from OU-Nebraska under a sign reading “That’s who we are.”

Spot news:

Honorable mention — Coverage by Alexia Aston (Clinton, Oklahoma) of a Gaylord College assistant professor facing two felony charges after allegedly attempting to meet a minor for sex.

Additionally, current OU Daily staffer Taylor Jones (Anna, Texas) was honored for work she contributed to KGOU.

At least 14 Student Media/OU Daily alumni also were recognized for their work, including:

Logan Layden of KGOU
Beth Wallis of StateImpact Oklahoma
Whitney Bryen of Oklahoma Watch
Rick Maranon of Fox 23 in Tulsa
Tres Savage, Matt Patterson, Joe Tomlinson and Bennett Brinkman of NonDoc Media
Shannon Shaw Duty of Osage News
Kayla Branch, Jennifer Palmer, Clifton Adcock, Brianna Bailey of The Frontier
Blayklee Freed of Tulsa People

About OU Student Media

OU Student Media is the steward of the OU Daily, which for more than a century has served Norman with free independent local journalism, the city's largest reporting staff and nationally honored coverage while launching the careers of media professionals. OU Daily produces news 24/7 online and in premium print products available in approximately 50 locations around Norman year-round.