Chronicle staff members won several awards in the Associated Collegiate Press’s 2022 Individual Awards competition, including first place for social media reporting.
The Chronicle’s staff placed first in the Best Social Media Reporting category for coverage of Duke Student Government revoking its official recognition of Students Supporting Israel, as well as multi-platform engagement from the sports department.
SSI’s student group recognition was revoked last November by the student government president after the group singled out a student on social media. What followed was targeted harassment of people involved, widespread news coverage and a statement from the University.
When DSG held a public forum with student government representatives, members of SSI and administrators to discuss a re-vote, The Chronicle live-tweeted the hearing. We also wrote informational threads regarding the incident and incorporated social media posts into our content.
The Chronicle’s sports department’s social media reporting was also commended, including live tweets of games and coverage of former men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski final year. When Duke advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2015 in March, sports staff produced content on Twitter and Tik Tok in addition to their traditional coverage.
Vol. 117 Editor-in-Chief Leah Boyd, a senior, highlighted how strong social media reporting allowed The Chronicle to “reach readers faster and find the best ways to deeply engage with them throughout the year.”
“When I told our team we were cutting regular print and becoming a digital-first news organization, they didn’t miss a beat, and I’m so grateful for all the time and creativity they put into expanding our digital coverage,” Boyd said.
After Coach K announced his retirement in June 2021, Sports Managing Editor Sasha Richie, a senior, honed in on one phrase: “My family and I view today as a celebration.”
Her story on how Duke men’s basketball and the Krzyzewski name have become synonymous, and the meaning of family on and off the basketball court, won her fourth place for Best Sports Feature Story.
Senior Chris Kuo’s story, “I wish I could do it forever: The story of Dean Sue’s decades at Duke, from student to dean to faculty-in-residence” took fifth place in the Story of the Year competition’s Ernie Pyle Human-Interest Profile category.
Kuo, who served as Vol. 117’s Enterprise Editor, reported and wrote the story last year, chronicling the abrupt departure of former Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek from Duke.
He said he “never anticipated the tremendous impact this story would have.”
“I’m particularly thankful to Sue — forever Dean Sue to us — for entrusting me with her story. This award is, more than anything else, a testament to the depth of her impact and the persistence of her legacy,” Kuo said.
Editor-in-Chief Milla Surjadi, a junior, received an honorable mention in the Breaking News category for the Story of the Year contest for her piece on the 2022 Student Commencement speech’s striking resemblances to a 2014 Harvard student address.
Kuo’s story “Meet Durham’s Friendship House, a community of Divinity School students and people with disabilities” received an honorable mention in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category for the Story of the Year contest.
Nithin Ragunathan, Trinity ‘22, received an honorable mention for his story “Data dive: Zoning in on Duke men’s basketball ahead of its Elite Eight matchup against Arkansas” in the Blog category for the Multimedia Story of the Year contest.
Sophomore Jules Kourelakos’ story “Duke students’ nonprofit Operation Climate tackles science misinformation through storytelling” received an honorable mention in the Local Climate Change Reporting category.
Winners were announced Friday at the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention awards ceremony. The Chronicle also received the 2022 Online Pacemaker Award, the foremost award for online college journalism.
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Milla Surjadi is a Trinity junior and a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 118.
Katie Tan is a Trinity senior and digital strategy director of The Chronicle's 119th volume. She was previously managing editor for Volume 118.