Fordham Observer, a Better Newspaper

The Observer, the student-run newspaper at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and its staff members recently won several awards from the New York Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.

The newspaper placed third in website design and print design in the college newspapers category of the New York Press Association’s 2013 Better Newspaper Contest, and three staff members were honored as well. Ian McKenna, FCLC ’15, and Tayler Bennett,’14, placed first in the Editorial Writing category, and Tim Gavan, FCLC ’15, won first place in the Best News Story category.

The Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 Mark of Excellence Award went to two staff members: Ian McKenna, FCLC ’15, for general news photography, and Melanie Chamberlain, FCLC ’14, for photo illustration. Tyler Martins, FCLC ’15, was a finalist in feature writing; McKenna and Martins were finalists for online feature reporting. The SPJ awards were announced April 28.

“It's gratifying to see that more sections of The Observer than ever before have been recognized this year—news, features, editorials, layout, photo and multimedia," said Elizabeth Stone, Ph.D., a professor of English and communication and media studies who serves as the newspaper’s faculty adviser.

The Observer was founded in 1981 and circulates on both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

-- Chris Gosier