USU Journalism Students Accept National Award in NYC

LOGAN, Utah — Five recent broadcast journalism graduates from the Journalism and Communications department attended an event in New York City last week to accept their Edward R. Murrow Award.

The annual award ceremony, hosted by the Radio Television Digital News Association, recognizes excellence in journalism. The students earned a Murrow Award for their half-hour program, “Cache Rendezvous: Better Than We Found It.”

With about 36 hours in the city, Journalism and Communications Professor Chris Garff, along with students Marcus Lamb, Morgan Perkins, Paige Johnson, Kainoa Johnson and Clayre Scott, made the most of their time by exploring the sights, indulging in local cuisine, and navigating the bustling streets.

“My favorite part was walking around the city together, taking in the sights and enjoying each other's company,” Lamb said.

The gala was on the night of the 14th at Gotham Hall in Midtown Manhattan. Each recipient was called to the stage to receive their award in front of a room full of dedicated journalists from across the country.

“This will be one of those stories I'll get to tell down the road that kickstarted my career,” added Paige Johnson.

There are very few student categories, Garff said, so to win the most prestigious award for the nation's best student newscast was “surreal.”

The students left with renewed confidence in their work and a valuable perspective for incoming students.

“All the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it,” Johnson said. “Putting in that little bit of extra effort into a project to make it sparkle can make all the difference between getting a job or not. It’s hard to see the bigger picture as a student when you’re focused on completing assignments, but I promise it can pay off for you, too.”

“If this isn't one of the best reasons to study journalism at Utah State University, I don't know what is,” Garff said. “Affordable tuition and earning one of the most prestigious awards students can win — that’s tough to beat.”