Please note: This announcement discusses topics of sexual assault and mass shootings. Mental health support resources can be found through CAPS and OVA.听
By Tayler Shaw (Jour, Span鈥�21)
Two CMCI undergraduate seniors, Lauren Irwin and Alec Levy-O'Brien, have earned top recognition听in the 2021-22 Hearst Journalism Awards, a national competition in which students submit their work to be judged by journalism professionals.听
The , established through the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, hosts a series of competitions throughout the year. Undergraduate journalism majors can enter the competitions if their university is accredited through the (ACEJMC).听
This year, Levy-O'Brien placed 17th in the photojournalism competition and Irwin placed seventh in the feature writing competition.
鈥淚鈥檓 just so thrilled,鈥� said Journalism Chair Elizabeth Skewes. 鈥淭hese are national awards for student journalism, and we鈥檙e competing against some of the top universities in the country.鈥�
To enter the Hearst competition, students must submit published work. Student publications the and published Levy-O'Brien鈥檚 photography and Irwin鈥檚 feature story, respectively.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate because we have both The Bold and the CUI that we can draw from for these student journalism awards,鈥� Skewes said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of the work that all of our students are doing.鈥�
Alec Levy-O鈥橞rien鈥檚 photo submission: Moments from the Boulder 2021 shooting
Levy-O鈥橞rien, a photojournalist for the CU Independent, submitted , during the Table Mesa King Soopers shooting in Boulder. His images captured the breaking news moments of what occurred, showing police officers, FBI agents and SWAT teams responding to the scene and King Soopers employees leaving the building.听
The powerful images earned 17th place out of 101 entries submitted from 56 universities in the Hearst Photojournalism I competition.听
Levy-O鈥橞rien is extremely proud of the journalistic work he and other CU Independent journalists performed that day, yet the recognition brought conflicted feelings.
鈥�If I am honest, the nomination and subsequent placing left me feeling rather hollow,鈥� said Levy-O鈥橞rien. 鈥淚n my years working as a professional photographer in the sports world, I had never really expected to come face to face with a situation such as this.鈥�
Levy-O鈥橞rien, a fifth-year journalism student minoring in sports media, said he hopes that people who see his coverage understand the human effect the shooting had on the Boulder community, and that victims of violent attacks deserve respect from the journalism community.听
鈥淭he staff at the CU Independent have been exceptional in their coverage of the shooting and subsequent events, and have had a profound impact on me,鈥� Levy-O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淭he journalists within the CUI are some of the best and brightest of our generation, and their unwavering support and unapparelled journalistic rigor should be commended.鈥�
Lauren Irwin鈥檚 feature writing submission: Sharing Katie Hnida鈥檚 story
For the Hearst Feature Writing competition, Irwin, the editor-in-chief at The Bold, submitted her story, 鈥�,鈥� placing from 80 schools.听
The digital story, published in March 2021 in The Bold Magazine, detailed the experience of Katie Hnida, a football kicker who was the first woman to score a point in a Division I college football game.听
Hnida started her college football career at CU Boulder in 1999. While at CU, some teammates and staff harassed and bullied her, Irwin鈥檚 story reported, and then she said a teammate raped her. Afterward, Hnida transferred schools and made history as a kicker for the University of New Mexico. Today, she helps teach sexual misconduct trainings and spreads awareness about gender violence. Through sharing her experience, she鈥檚 helped institutions like CU make changes to prevent cases of sexual harassment and assault. For example, all athletic teams are now required to attend training on sexual misconduct policies.
鈥淚 wanted to bring Katie鈥檚 story to a collegiate audience that grew up with the #MeToo movement and are now experiencing the Barstool Sports era,鈥� Irwin said. 鈥淚 hope when people talk about female athletes like Sarah Fuller breaking into a male-dominated sport, they think about Katie and the other females that came before her.鈥澨�
Irwin, a journalism senior minoring in political science, said she was shocked to find out her story placed seventh in the feature writing competition, expressing gratitude to Hnida and the editorial team at The Bold who helped her create the piece.听
鈥淚 was really happy because I worked so hard, along with my editors, to make this piece the best it could be,鈥� Irwin said about the recognition. 鈥淲e all really wanted to do Katie鈥檚 story justice and I think that鈥檚 why it is as good as it is. I鈥檓 so grateful for all of the people who helped me along the way, including Katie, who allowed me to share her story.鈥�