The FAMUan and members of its 2012 staff recently received top honors at the 2012 National HBCU Student News Media Conference in Nashville, Tenn.
The FAMUan won second-place honors for its in-depth coverage on the one-year anniversary of the hazing death of Marching 100 drum major Robert Champion.
Broadcast journalism student Brandon Lee received first-place recognition for his Triples, trimesters and trials sports feature article.
The second-place honor for best individual photograph went to photography student Alvin McBeans Swimmer.
Third place headline writing honors went to broadcast journalism student Nolan McCaskill for an article titled Beckford sets the tone.
Jeffrey Morris, a graphic design graduate, was awarded third place in the individual page design category for his creative contributions to the Lifestyles section and his A different point in ballet design.
The FAMUan also received second-place accolades for having the best student newspaper with regular production among HBCUs. Judges cited The FAMUans visual and written election coverage on deadline as key factors for receiving the award.
These entries and winners show a real passion for journalism from a new generation of journalists, said Reginald Stuart, contest coordinator and recruiter for the McClatchy Company, in an announcement naming the winners.
Dr. Valerie White, journalism division director of Florida A&Ms School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and chairwoman of the Black College Communication Association, concurred.
The awards show the wealth of talent we have at HBCUs because the awards were spread among the schools, White said in the announcement.
Other universities that received honors at the Conference included Grambling State University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, Kentucky State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University, Winston-Salem State University, and the University of the Virgin Islands.