By: Joe Strupp UWIRE, the college journalism association that has been helping student journalists share content and improve skills since 1984, plans to unveil its list of the 100 most promising student journalists on Wednesday.
The list, compiled by UWIRE's seven-person panel of editors and managers spans 66 different campuses, from New York University to UCLA, with entries ranging from a former Iraq War embed to a sex columnist.
"It is no a small honor," says Ben French, vice president and general manager of UWIRE.com, the group's Web site. "I think when you are chosen by your peers, it is a big deal."
The 100-person list, in no order of ranking, came about after the Web site sought nominations in February, resulting in 500 nominations of 361 students from 132 campuses. The panel sifted through the choices and created the 100 list this month. It will be posted on UWIRE.com and at E&P Online on Wednesday. Interviews with some of the winners will appear in our June print issue.
"We followed up the nominations by talking to people who worked with them and sought more references," French says of the process. "It is not about campus newspapers, necessarily. It is student journalists. The best and most promising student journalists."
Although UWIRE has been in existence since 1984, the interactive Web site, used to share content and promote student journalism, has been in place as it exists for less than a year. French said the 100-person list was seen as a way to honor top students and increase awareness of the organization. "We knew that UWIRE had this enormous community and we wanted to do more to bring that community together," he added.
A sneak peak at the list shows that the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill had the most honorees, with five; followed by Penn State University and the University of Iowa with four each, and three a piece for the University of Florida, Syracuse University, Indiana University, and the University of Texas-Austin.
Among the more notable winners are:
? William Quinn, a former U.S. Army interrogator at Abu Ghraib turned columnist for The Hoya at Georgetown University.
? James Lee, a former U.S. Marine in Iraq who wrote for The Golden Gate Xpress at San Francisco State University and embedded in Iraq after his tour of duty.
? Elham Khatami, opinion editor of The Pitt News at the University of Pittsburgh. An Iranian, she wrote about being detained during a visit to Israel for a series of editorials on Palestinian-Israeli relations.
? John Puterbaugh, editor-in-chief of The Northern Star at Northern Illinois University, who oversaw the paper's coverage of a campus Valentine's Day shooting this year that ended with the deaths of five victims and the wounding of 18.
"We really wanted to honor the individuals in a community of people," said French.
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