Daily Iowan Backstory

10/28/2021

Dear Daily Iowan Alumni and Friends: We have tremendous news to share!
The Daily Iowan was named an Online Pacemaker winner by the Associated Collegiate Press. The Pacemaker is considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism. The DI was one of 14 winners nationally.

This is the DI's first Online Pacemaker and seventh overall. We won a Newspaper Pacemaker last year. It's the first time we've won consecutive Pacemakers in 20 years.

Further: Three of our DI students were recognized with national awards and three others finished in the top four for individual awards! Among them:

DI staff won FIRST PLACE in "COVID-19: Print News" for our special section that served as a one-year reflection on the pandemic.

Yassie Buchanan won FIRST PLACE in the "Column" category for her piece on Black history education, in which she interviewed fellow Waterloo, Iowa native Hannah Nicole Jones.

Robert Read won FIRST PLACE in "Sports Game Story" for his story on Luka Garza passing Roy Marble as Iowa men’s basketball all-time leading scorer.

Alexandra Skores placed third in "Diversity Story" for her feature detailing 50 years of the Latino and Native American Cultural Center.

Katie Goodale placed third in "Sports Game/Action Photo" for her photo of Luka Garza.

Julia Shanahan placed fourth in "Human-Interest Profile" for her story on an Iowa man who died because he was rationing insulin.

We had seven others recognized with honorable mentions for placing in the top 10 nationally. They are:

Rylee Wilson for her story on President Bruce Harreld retiring
Alexandra Skores for the College of Dentistry email story
Brooklyn Draisey, Katie Goodale and Jenna Galligan for their story on mothering during COVID-19
Kelsey Harrell for the 2020 voter guide
Chloe Peterson, Hannah Kinson, and Kelsey Harrell for a story on Caitlin Clark
Jacob Maish for a photo called “Storm Aftermath”
Tianna Torrejon for a broadcast story on Hawkeye wrestling winning the Big Ten championship

"I'm very proud of our staff and these accomplishments, particularly while enduring the pandemic and the circumstances from a mostly remote newsroom," said DI Publisher Jason Brummond. "It's quite an accomplishment to be recognized as a Pacemaker winner and have three winners in the premier national collegiate journalism competition!"

To learn more about how to support great campus journalism, please contact:

Jason Brummond | Publisher
The Daily Iowan
office: 319-335-5788
cell: 319-331-6855
[email protected]

10/13/2021

Hawks, other raptors attend games at Kinnick to boost conservation education efforts

Hawks, other raptors attend games at Kinnick to boost conservation education efforts

Fans may have noticed more than one bird, besides Herky, present on Duke Slater Field this football season — two red-tailed hawks and a peregrine falcon have joined the Hawkeyes. Game day is filled with traditions for the Hawkeyes: the Wave after the first quarter, the team walking out to “Back ...

10/13/2021

ACP - 2021 Individual Award finalists

ACP - 2021 Individual Award finalists

Through education training and recognition programs for members, the Associated Collegiate Press promotes the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.

04/30/2021

Please join us in congratulating the newly-announced 2021-2022 Daily Iowan staff leaders as posted by next year's Executive Editor Caleb McCullough. So much talent in this crew!

Managing Editors: Rylee Wilson and Josie Fischels
Managing Editor, Digital: Kelsey Harrell
Assistant Digital Editor: Molly Milder
Senior Print Editor: Rachel Schilke
News Editors: Eleanor Hildebrandt and Sabine Martin
Politics Editor: Natalie Dunlap
Arts Editors: Maddie Johnston and Jenna Post
Opinions Editor/Amplify Editor: Hannah Pinski
Sports Editor: Austin Austin Ryan Hanson
Assistant Sports Editor: Chloe Peterson
Pregame Editor: Robert Read
Design Editor: Kate Doolittle
Photo Editors: Kate Heston and Jerod Ringwald
Films Editor: TBD
Documentary Director: Jenna Galligan
DITV News Director: Elisabeth Neruda
DITV Assistant News Director: Julia Richards
DITV Sports Director: Destinee Cook
Copy Editor: Katie Ann McCarver
New Digital Producers: Grace Hamilton, Caitlin Crome, and Marco Oceguera

04/15/2021

Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards winners announced

Friends,
A note from Daily Iowan Publisher Jason Brummond:

I'm excited to share that The Daily Iowan was named today as the Society of Professional Journalists' 2020 Best All-Around Student Newspaper for Region 7 (consisting of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska).

We had winners in six individual categories and several other regional finalists. Regional winners advance to the national competition to compete against winners from the 11 other regions. National winners and finalists will be named later this spring.
We won 2019 Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper nationally after winning in Region 7. SPJ did not have separate Daily and Non-Daily awards this year.

Here are the individual winners who advance to nationals:
In-Depth Reporting: Alexandra Skores – 'Isolated and anxious:' Dental students react to an email thread, remarks made within their college

Feature Reporting: Katie Ann McCarver – 'It was never the same':
Remembering the Oklahoma City bombing 25 years later

Sports Column Writing: Robert Read

Breaking News Photography: Katie Goodale – Protest arrest

General News Photography: Ryan Adams – Trump rally

Sports Photography: Shivansh Ahuja – Iowa-Ohio State wrestling

Here's the release from SPJ, which includes the finalists:
https://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=1797

Congratulations to all! The Best-All Around Student Newspaper submission included newspapers from last spring semester and this past fall, so many of our staff have contributed to this success.
Best,
Jason

Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards winners announced

04/08/2021

We have a number of student journalists to congratulate today!

Hearst has awarded Josie Fischels 14th place in the nation in the category of "Profile Writing" for her piece on Marvin Bell, which we are linking in the first comment below. And the following students are all named as finalists in the annual Great Plains Journalism Awards: Alexandra Skores, Caleb McCullough, Sarah Watson, Julia Shanahan, Kelsey Harrell, Katie Goodale, Kate Doolittle, Bailey Cichon, Shivansh Ahuja, and Kade Overton.

Final winners will be announced May 7th.

Well done everyone!

03/24/2021

Give today to support the University of Iowa!

Dear Friends:

Despite our recent successes, advertising revenue at The Daily Iowan has dropped by more than 65% in the last decade. Donations from alumni and friends is more critical than ever.

Your gift will help support:
• Travel opportunities – we sent journalists to Indianapolis, St. Louis and San Antonio last week
• Scholarships – including a new Daily Iowan Newsroom Diversity Scholarship
• Equipment, computers and other technology upgrades

We need your support to ensure continued excellence. Give today: https://bit.ly/3ch5hQi #1DayForIowa
Thank you!

One Day for Iowa, the University of Iowa’s 24-hour online giving day is Wednesday, March 24, 2021!

03/24/2021

Give today to support the University of Iowa!

Friends: We need your help! Support the Daily Iowan today on One Day for Iowa, the UI's 24-hour online giving day! For more than 150 years, the DI, one of America's best campus newspapers, has been shaping the careers of student journalists.

In the last 13 months, we have won:
* 2021 and 2020 Newspaper of the Year in Iowa
* 2020 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Award
* 2019 Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper (SPJ)

We need your support to ensure continued excellence. Give today: https://bit.ly/3ch5hQi #1DayForIowa.

One Day for Iowa, the University of Iowa’s 24-hour online giving day is Wednesday, March 24, 2021!

03/09/2021

Caleb McCullough selected as The Daily Iowan’s next editor

Big news at The Daily Iowan! Please join us in congratulating Caleb McCullough.

On Monday night, Student Publications Inc. selected Managing Editor Caleb McCullough to be the next executive editor of The Daily Iowan for the 2021-2022 school year. McCullough, a journalism and political science double-major minoring in philosophy, said he chose to attend the University of Iowa be...

03/09/2021

Capturing a historic year: DI photobook tells the story of 2020

To learn more about how to purchase our new book, please contact DI Publisher Jason Brummond ([email protected]). All proceeds go toward the training of future journalists. Thank you for your support of the DI!

Flipping through “2020: The Year Documented,” readers see photographs featuring gatherings of masked people, Black Lives Matter protesters forced into the pavement, dilapidated homes, and vacant sports stadiums. “2020: The Year Documented” is a photo book composed of historic moments capture...

02/18/2021

Dear Alumni and Friends,
Please take a moment to read this letter from DI Publisher Jason Brummond:
I'm thrilled to share this note to recognize the incredible staff of The Daily Iowan – Iowa's 2021 Newspaper of the Year.
The DI won the Iowa Newspaper Association's top honor for the second straight year and fourth time (1976, 1981, 2020, 2021) in the 52-year history of the award. The Newspaper of the Year is presented to the newspaper that accumulates the highest point total from placing first, second, or third in individual categories.
This success speaks to an overall team effort, as shown by our multiple winners across categories.
I could not be prouder of the work our Daily Iowan staffers are doing to ensure we are reporting on important news and sharing stories that matter to our community. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this year's win, and thanks to our alumni community for continuing to support The Daily Iowan.
Here is the full list of place-winners:
FIRST PLACE FINISHES IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
General Excellence
Coverage of Government and Politics
Coverage of Education
Coverage of Agriculture
Coverage of Business
Coverage of Court and Crime
Total Newspaper Design
Best Use of Graphics
Best Newspaper Website
Best Use of Social Media
Best Podcast – "On the Record"
Best Slideshow – Shivansh Ahuja and Ryan Adams (Iowa-Minnesota football)
Best Breaking News Photo – Katie Goodale (Des Moines protest)
Best Sports Photo – Shivansh Ahuja (Iowa-Ohio State wrestling)
Best Photo Story – Katina Zentz and Katie Goodale (Trump rally)
Best Photographer – Katie Goodale
Best News Feature Story – Katelyn Weisbrod (From pre-med to organic farming)
Best Sports Story – Anna Kayser (Michael Kemerer's return to the mat)
Best Sports Feature Story – Shivansh Ahuja (Lisa Bluder: 20 years of making leaders)
Master Columnist – Elijah Helton
Best Ad Designer – Heidi Owen
Best Web Advertisement – Heidi Owen
Best Ad Featuring Financial, Insurance or Other Professional Service – Heidi Owen
Best Ad Featuring Automotive, Boats, Tires, etc. – Heidi Owen
SECOND PLACE
Best Front Page
Best Feature Page(s)
Best Video – Staff (Caucus Chaos: Iowa City)
Best Slideshow – Staff (Iowa caucuses)
Best Breaking News Photo – Jeff Sigmund (Derecho)
Best Sports Feature Photo – Shivansh Ahuja (Spencer Lee victory)
Best Photo Story – Staff (Iowa caucuses)
Best Photographer – Katina Zentz
Best News Feature Story – Julia Shanahan (Farmer face economic barriers)
Best Personality Feature – Anna Kayser (Tom Brands leads through accountability)
Best Sports Story – Pete Ruden (Smith-Marsette shows off speed in win over USC)
Best Sports Columnist – Robert Read
Best Special Section Advertising – Heidi Owen (Pregame)
Best Web Advertisement – Heidi Owen
Best Ad Featuring Financial, Insurance or Other Professional Service – Heidi Owen
THIRD PLACE
Best Slideshow – Katie Goodale (Des Moines protest)
Best Photo Story – Jeff Sigmund and Jake Maish (Derecho and more derecho)
Best News Photo – Shivansh Ahuja
Best News Feature Photo – Katina Zentz (Iowa football tours U.S. Naval Base in San Diego)
Best Photographer – Shivansh Ahuja (Pete Buttigieg)
Best News Feature Story – Caleb McCullough (Patients face roadblocks in medical ma*****na)
Best Sports Feature – Anna Kayser (Tom Brands leads through accountability)
Best Ad Featuring Service or Merchandise – Heidi Owen
Best Ad Featuring Miscellaneous – Heidi Owen

06/09/2020

Iowa Beats Out UCLA and the Yale Daily News

Thank you for the shoutout, University of Iowa!

The Society of Professional Journalists on May 12 named The Daily Iowan the 2019 Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper in the country.

11/18/2019

Exciting news to share: DI scholar Katelyn Weisbrod, graduating in December with a journalism and environmental science double major, has found the perfect fit: She will be working as a web producer at InsideClimate News - a Brooklyn-based media organization - and she can work remotely. She moves to the Twin Cities in January.

Katelyn was a Pulitzer Center student fellow this summer where she traveled to India to report on waste management. She's been at the DI for 4.5 years and just completed a 10-month project where she followed a young farmer throughout her first season.

Please join us in congratulating Katelyn!

11/18/2019

Check out the new "Iowa Caucuses Countdown" on dailyiowan.com (right side of page.) Created/coded by our very own Digital Editor Aadit Tambe! As of this posting, we have 77 days, 9 hours, 35 minutes and 2 seconds to go!

11/05/2019

Hi All: Our editors returned from the annual ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in DC this past weekend. We were recognized as online/print Pacemaker finalists and came home with all the awards below! Please join us in congratulating all these amazing student journalists:

ACP Individual Awards
Best News Photo — Honorable mention for Nick Rohlman
Best Feature Photo — 3rd for Wyatt Dlouhy
Best Inside/Feature Design — 4th for Naomi Hofferber
Best Photo Slideshow — 5th for Katie Goodale
Best Multimedia Sports Story Package — 3rd for Dave David Harmantas, honorable mention for Adam Hensley/Nick Rohlman/Roman Slabach
Best Multimedia Feature Story Package — Honorable mention for Kate Katelyn Weisbrod/Katina Zentz, Gage Miskimen/Roman Slabach
Best Column — 5th for Isabella Rosario
Best In-Depth News Story — 5th for Julia Shanahan
Best Breaking News Story — Honorable mention for Marissa Payne
Best Interactive Graphic — Honorable mention for Aadit Tambe

Best of Show
Best Newspaper — 2nd place for our paper with Greta Thunberg coverage
Best Multimedia Package — 1st place for Mollie Tibbetts - Brooklyn Draisey, Jenna Galligan, Katie Goodale
Best Website — 8th place
Best Special Edition — 4th place, Ryan Adams’ Iowa River expedition project

10/29/2019

Husband charged with first-degree murder of UI Health Care budget official JoEllen Browning

Husband charged with first-degree murder of UI Health Care budget official JoEllen Browning

The husband of University of Iowa Health Care budget official JoEllen Browning, Roy C. Browning Jr., was charged Monday with first-degree murder of his wife a little more than six months after her death, according to Johnson County Sheriff’s Office booking information. JoEllen Browning, 65, was ki...

10/28/2019

What Life Is Like for the Migrants Who Occupied a U.S.-Mexico Bridge in Protest

The latest from Sergio Flores....in Vice!

Hundreds of migrants forced to wait out U.S. asylum claims in Mexico are living at the foot of a border crossing bridge.

04/23/2019

Hi DI page lovers: just a reminder that we have another FB page set up for our alums which you can access below - and where we have almost daily postings. See you there! https://www.facebook.com/dailyiowan.backstory

01/11/2019

2018-19 - Hearst Journalism Awards Program

Check out number five...congrats, James Year!

Writing Photojournalism RadioTelevision Multimedia Intercollegiate 2018 – 2019 Photojournalism Winners Photojournalism I – News & Features Photojournalism II – Picture Story/Series TBA

09/24/2018

Hello everyone: we still have not made a permanent transition to this page because our other page remains so active - if you haven't already do friend us there as well: https://www.facebook.com/dailyiowan.backstory

09/08/2018

Employment Opportunities | FilmScene

...join another DI alum at FilmScene...

Employment Opportunities Employment Opportunities Contact Staff Board of Directors Mission History FilmScene is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural vitality of the Iowa City area through film programming that challenges, inspires, educates, and entertains. Fi...

07/17/2018

DI Friends: Our other "page" is more active - please find us here: https://www.facebook.com/dailyiowan.backstory

06/19/2018

Hello Alums! If you are searching for the Daily Iowan Backstory where you can interact with other alums, check out:
https://www.facebook.com/dailyiowan.backstory (below). [Obviously we were set up inadvertently as a person - but it became such a success we kept it. We will switch it over to "Page" format after the reunion....] Please join us there if you can!

06/14/2018

Anybody following the Backstory who graduated UI in the 1940s?

06/03/2018

LA friends take note! Director of Photography is DI alum John Richard!

Brinton is going Hollywood!
Tickets now on sale for the LA premiere of Saving Brinton—opening Friday night at the Laemmle Monica Film Center.

Five showtimes daily + two special screenings:
7:30 Friday with University of Iowa and Produce Iowa
7:30 Saturday with film journalist Susan King of Classic Hollywood | Los Angeles Times

Tix; www.laemmle.com/films/43345

05/07/2018

DOCLANDS Documentary Film Festival

A very appreciative audience kept Saving Brinton subject Michael Zahs and DP John Richards engaged in conversation well after their screening and Q&A. Their discussion of the importance of heritage, community, history, small towns, and Zahs’ home of Iowa summed up by Zahs: “Don’t throw anything away!” #savingbrinton #DocLands

05/01/2018

The Daily Iowan

The Daily Iowan

In 2015, Chicago Westsider Glenn "Sonnie" Wooden spoke to Kanye West at a School of the Art Institute of Chicago lecture.

Now an Iowa City-based artist, Sonnie continues to voice his concerns about the safety of Chicago.

In a DI project titled "Chicago: Neither here nor there" being released on Thursday, Sonnie and Joshua Housing discuss the topic deeper in conversation, personal essays, and a photo slideshow.

Video from School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) YouTube.

04/20/2018

Tampa Bay Times

Tampa Bay Times

Journalism that matters: The #Tampa Bay Times was just awarded two Pulitzer Prizes! Our Failure Factories investigation (tampabay.com/failurefactories) won in the Local Reporting category. The series looked at how Pinellas County school district leaders systematically failed five elementary schools when it abandoned integration and offered no followup resources. We also won the Investigative category for our Insane. Invisible. In Danger. series (tampabay.com/mentalhospitals). Those stories investigated the chaos that came to #Florida's mental hospitals after the state cut $100 million in funding. Congratulations to the winners!

04/04/2018

Daily Iowan 150th Reunion – 150 Years

The Daily Iowan Backstory alumni network page is approaching 1,200 friends! How many of you have purchased tickets to this summer's big event? See below, reach out to your old newsroom friends, and join the party!

03/26/2018

www.dailyiowan150.co

Hi Everyone: Given all the new friends to our page we are starting a new "Where are you now?" thread. So: to those of you who have not yet written in: WHERE ARE YOU NOW??? We are hoping for as many responses as possible given the 150th anniversary/reunion in July! Thank you!

03/26/2018

Daily Iowan 150th Reunion – 150 Years

Hi Everyone: Our social media outreach with DI alums has expanded to a LinkedIn group: The Daily Iowan Alumni Network. Please join us there as well!

The Daily Iowan Alumni Network on LinkedIn seeks to broaden the alumni experience by connecting older and newer alumni across generations. We welcome news concerning individual career accomplishments, job postings/opportunities for others in our network, and any career advice you might want to share.

In light of the DI's 150th anniversary this summer, we hope all of you will connect with former newsroom friends via our social media platforms, because it promises to be a great party in July! Thank you!