Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s student newspaper, The Current Sauce, received awards from the state’s professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists this past weekend. The event gathered journalists across the state to celebrate Outstanding Journalism in Louisiana.

Madelyn Murphy, The Current Sauce’s Arts and Living Editor in the spring semester, won first place in print feature reporting.

The judges’ noted Murphy’s writing strengths that set her apart in the category: “Murphy quotes multiple sources, offers revealing little details and dives deep into unique story ideas.”

Lia Portillo Cantarero, The Current Sauce’s Editor-in-Chief, won second place in print news reporting.

NSU-TV News Service and The Current Sauce collaborated in various stories throughout the year. From these collaborations, the two organizations were also recognized in the multimedia reporting category.

Portillo and Isabel Juarez-Rubio, Current Sauce’s previous Community Outreach Coordinator, took first place with the story of NSU alumna Sarah Jessica Rhodes’ Taylor Swift tribute show. While Kevin Thomas, former Copy Editor, and Kallie Bourgeois, previous Current Sauce Reporter, placed second for multimedia with their interview with NSU’s athletic director Kevin Bostian.

The student media coordinator, Matthew Craig, expressed his excitement for The Current Sauce staff. “Watching the paper grow in popularity through social media and continue to cover great stories throughout the year has been amazing to see,” he said. As he embarks in his third year as the student media coordinator he hopes The Current Sauce grows even more.

Nick Taylor, a professor in the New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts Department and adviser for NSU-TV, said that the collaborations between the two organizations unify student media.

“This lets the student journalists tell a story from multiple angles, giving the audience different perspectives,” Taylor said. “I’m proud of the student journalists who created these stories.”

The Society of Professional Journalists is an organization that advocates for free speech and press freedom while creating a common space for journalists to connect. Sergy Odiduro, SPJ president for the professional chapter in Louisiana, said these awards are a way for the organization to celebrate the work from journalists around the state.

“From our Public Service Awards to our categories recognizing student journalism, it is clear that what we do is vital to the communities we serve,” Odiduro said. “I am proud of all the journalists who won this year and I am looking forward to next year’s competition.”

For more information on SPJ their website is listed here.

The other stories that led to awards will be listed below:

Feature reporting – https://purplemedianetwork.com/16846/arts-living/madeline-romeros-little-bird-senior-exhibition-invites-viewers-to-find-their-inner-little-bird/ https://purplemedianetwork.com/17069/arts-living/from-long-distance-couple-to-husband-and-wife/ https://purplemedianetwork.com/17133/arts-living/nsu-art-facultys-work-on-display-shows-their-burning-passion-for-more-than-just-teaching/

News reporting – https://purplemedianetwork.com/16619/news/some-nsu-students-dont-feel-safe-at-the-quad/ https://purplemedianetwork.com/16661/news/nsu-president-marcus-jones-stands-by-decision-search-firm-hired-to-find-new-head-football-coach/ https://purplemedianetwork.com/17223/news/natchitoches-mayor-announces-scholarship-raffle-did-he-violate-the-law/