The Crimson White won seven awards at the Fall National College Media Convention this weekend in New Orleans.
Managing Editor Jacob Ritondo and former News Editor Ethan Henry won a Pinnacle Honorable Mention for best breaking news story for their coverage on SB 129. Photo Editor Riley Thompson won a third-place Pinnacle award for best sports news photo.
The Crimson White also won five Best of Show awards. Staff Writer Calister Clemons won second place for Election 2024 reporting for his article on the candidates’ support for income tax exemption on tips. Thompson won sixth place sports photo, and Ritondo won third place news story for his coverage on the lack of DEI transparency from the University.
The paper collectively won fourth-place website and eighth-place digital newsletter.
Thompson was the recipient of both sports photo awards. The winning photo included a touchdown shot from this year’s Georgia game, as well as a capture of the famous 4th and 31 play during the 2023 Iron Bowl.
“Being able to use pictures to tell a story, especially those big moments and even those little moments, it can show stories in ways that writing usually can’t,” Thompson said.
Clemons’ award-winning story was one of his first articles for The Crimson White. He wrote about Harris and Trump’s tax-free tip policies and said that the reporting involved made him more aware of the journalistic processes involved with news writing.
“I interviewed experts on the policy, and also the workers and bosses that it would affect,” Clemons said. “Being able to see an angle from every side was helpful for me.”
The Crimson White website was recently redesigned by Ritondo, who spent the summer changing the template and adding in new features.
“It’s really cool to see student media getting recognized,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of hours that go behind it to keep the whole process going smoothly.”
