June 2003

J-school ranked 7th in
national competition
Top-notch work by journalism students earned The University of Montana seventh place in this year's national Hearst Journalism Intercollegiate Competition. In the overall competition, UM moved up from its 10th place showing last year and is the only Northwest school in the top 10. UM placed fifth overall in broadcast news.

Thirteen UM students won individual Hearst awards -- considered to be the Pulitzers of college journalism -- in this year's competition. Points they accrued during the October-to-April contest combined to form UM's overall rating.

"What is remarkable is that a small program such as ours places amongst the best-funded, largest programs in the country," journalism Dean Jerry Brown said. "It reflects the talent and initiative of the students and the commitment of the faculty to the high standards of the Hearst competition."

With its accumulated wins, UM came in ahead of the University of Florida (eighth), San Jose State University (ninth) and the University of Missouri (10th). Other top 10 winners were Northwestern University (first), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (second), Western Kentucky University (third), Pennsylvania State University (fourth), Syracuse University (fifth) and Arizona State University (sixth).

The performance of the journalism school's radio-TV department bolstered UM's final ranking, and broadcast student Danielle Cross will be the second UM student to participate in the national finals since Hearst added its broadcast competition in 1988.

The Hearst program, which gives more than $400,000 in awards, matching grants and stipends yearly, was founded in the late 1940s by publisher William Randolph Hearst. The competition consists of three photo, six writing and four broadcast news contests annually. Of approximately 400 journalism programs in the country, 105 are accredited by the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and are eligible to participate in the awards program.

-By Alissa Herbaly Coons
UM journalism school Web reporter

University Relations | Cary Shimek, Editor
The University of Montana-Missoula
32 Campus Drive | Missoula, MT 59812
phone (406) 243-2522 | fax (406) 243-4520
© 2004 The University of Montana