March 10, 2009
Contact: Paul Bittick, General Manager
Cal Poly Mustang Daily 805-756-2537
Cal Poly’s Mustang Daily Student Newspaper Wins
Two Top Awards at Statewide Media Contest
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- The Mustang Daily, Cal Poly’s student-run daily newspaper, won two first-place awards in the recent annual California College Media Association contest.
The newspaper’s coverage of the crop house incident and the following protests on campus won first place for daily newspapers in the Best News Series category. The writers were Bridget Veltri, Omar Sanchez and Joshua Ayers.
Marlize van Romburgh serves as editor of the Mustang Daily.
“Besides giving us the news of the day, one of the primary functions of a newspaper should be to shine a light on issues of concern within its community,” said John Ellis, an editor with the Fresno Bee and a contest judge. “This series of stories (about the crop house incident) does just that, spinning off an incident that involved a noose, Confederate flag and a racist and homophobic sign on camps that led to a protest,”
In advertising, the Mustang Daily also took first place for best Black and White Advertising Design. Several former Mustang Daily designers created the ad for Bikram Yoga with assistance from Advertising Account Executive Jessica Schroeder.
“Good use of dominant visual image that conveyed the message of the ad,” noted judge Marc Calvanico, director of sales training for the San Jose Mercury News. “The layout of the ad used the image to draw the reader's attention to the main copy points. The ‘It's Hot’ had a double meaning that provided the ‘what's in it for me’ for the reader.”
The Mustang Daily also took second and third awards in the Best Group Promotion category and third for both Best Color Ad and Best Sales Promotion Materials.
The winners were recognized at a reception Saturday in conjunction with the Associated Collegiate Press National College Journalism Convention in San Diego.
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