Contacts:
Christine Cordial, Program Coordinator, (317) 920-4788, ccordial@spj.org
Isaac Taylor, Communications Coordinator, (317) 920-4785, itaylor@spj.org

BALTIMORE – The staff of the Diamondback, the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, received the MOEy Best in Show at tonight’s Student Union during Excellence in Journalism 2018.

The Diamondback earned the MOEy – the Society of Professional Journalists top student journalism award -- for its series ‘It’s real’: A seven-part look at how sexual assault is handled at the University of Maryland.

Each year, student journalists compete regionally in print, TV, radio and online categories. Mercer and Kessler are the regional winners in Feature Reporting, Large School Division. First-place winners advance to compete nationally and are eligible for the MOEy. The best in show award is chosen from more than 4,000 entries in the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards competition.

The Diamondback’s series blends elements of text, sketches, photography, video elements and interactive graphics to tell the story of sexual violence on the university’s campus.

The semester-long commitment of the team to understanding what compelled two University of Maryland students to file federal complaints with the U.S. Department of Education for possible Title IX violations shows tenacity for seeking truth.

"I say this with no offese to my past professors, but I learned more in a basement newsroom producing the daily student newspaper at LSU than I learned in a classroom," emcee of The Student Union, Amy Brittain said.

Just as Brittain's experience would imply, student journalism is just as important as ever.

SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund, or give to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

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