Spectator Wins Four GCPA Awards

VALDOSTA -- The Spectator, Valdosta State University's student newspaper, received four awards in the annual Georgia College Press Association's (GCPA) Better Newspaper Contest. Honors were presented at a conference held Feb. 4 and 5 in Athens.

Editor-in-Chief Amy Johnstono placed first in Best Objective News Article. The publication also won three staff awards, which include first place for General Photography, second place for General Advertising and third place for Best Website.

These four awards bring the Spectator to a total of 26 GCPA accolades in the past four years. The independent student paper captured six awards last year, and 10 awards and one honorable mention in 2009 -- the most ever received by a single publication. Dr. Pat Miller, advisor for the Spectator, credits the newspaper’s success to the quality and diligence of its staff members.

“The variety of these awards shows that we are hitting on all cylinders,” Miller said. “I always stress the importance of the staff members attending the awards conference so that they can see that they are up to par with every other university.”

Miller added that she was quite impressed with a presentation the staff made during the conference about how the newsroom of the future will be.

Editorial Advisor Ted Geltner said that the staff’s accomplishments serve as an indicator of its passion to deliver fast, accurate news.

“While they definitely appreciate the awards, the staff members hope that they are fulfilling a goal to provide newsworthy stories for the VSU community,” he said.

The Spectator publishes each Thursday during spring and fall semesters. Students who are interested in writing for the Spectator should sign up for Journalism 2500 or contact Managing Editor Desiree Thompson at drthompson@valdosta.edu or Editor-in-Chief Amy Johstono at acjohstono@valdost.edu.

Visit www.vsuspectator.com for more information about the Spectator and its online options. More information about GCPA is available online at http://www.gapress.org/gcpa.html.