Members of The Suffolk Journal stand with three awards the newspaper won at the College Media Association Convention in New York City.

The Suffolk Journal won second place for best newspaper along with two other awards at the College Media Association’s National Convention in New York City this month. 

The second-place win came in the category of four-year institutions with 5,000 and 10,000 undergraduate students. The Journal’s second-place award in the conference’s design contest and third-place win for best homepage was open to all student publications in attendance. 

The Journal came in second in the design contest for Graphics Editor Julia Fusco’s art featured in the Feb. 23 article, “Black History Month: A time of reflection for a better future.” 

“I am so proud of The Journal for everything they’ve laid out, and I’ve got to be proud of myself as well for all of the improvements I’ve made when it comes to my graphics,” Fusco said. “It was a really rewarding experience to win second place and very affirming of my, and the rest of The Journal’s, capabilities.”

The paper last won a journalism award in 2017, when it came in second place for best newspaper in the CMA’s small school category.

“Like everyone, we’ve had to adjust a lot over the last few years,” said Caroline Enos, editor-in-chief of The Journal. “We went from being a print-focused newspaper to having to go entirely virtual, all during the middle of a pandemic that we suddenly had to cover, and all from our childhood bedrooms.

“It is because of the incredible perseverance, dedication and talent of our staff that we are where we are today,” Enos continued. “I am so proud of the necessary and well-done journalism they continue to produce.” 

Web Editor Jamie Taris was especially excited about The Journal’s third place win for best homepage. 

“I’m proud of all of our awards, but placing third for best homepage is particularly special to me. I’ve had a lot of fun as the web editor, and for me the award validates all the late nights I’ve put in tinkering with our website.”

The conference ran from March 9-12. Members of The Journal took part in workshops for student journalists, such as “Inclusion in College Media,” “Where the Money Goes” and “Covering the Ukraine/Russia War,” which featured a panel of Ukrainian-American activists. 

Journal members also attended keynote addresses by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, two New York Times journalists who won a Pulitzer Prize for uncovering Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse of multiple women, and Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Daily Show who often highlights racial justice in his segments. 

The conference concluded with the Apple Awards, where The Journal took home the three awards. The full list of winners can be found at www.collegemedia.org. 

“The Suffolk Journal staff deserves to be judged among the best in the country who competed in the CMA Apple Awards, in not one but three categories,” said Professor Charles St. Amand, who is also The Journal’s adviser and attended the conference. “They welcome all, practice journalism with enthusiasm and care, and have a lot of fun doing it.”