Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Media Milwaukee Entry Title: Echoes of Dissent: A Sterling Hall Bomber Vanishes Into the Night Entry Credit: Beckett Callan, Angelika Ytuarte, Jackson Minshall, Sian de Beer, Alexander Trunnell, Miles Verban, Dawson Carroll, Thomas Mulkerrins, Fatema Almarshoudi, Ainsley Feigles, Charmeka Wells Judge Comment: This epic tale reads like a script for a made-for-TV movie with the working title: "The Ghost of Wisconsin." In fact, the authors should punch up a pitch for Netflix and maybe find some dollars to mitigate any future student loan debt. In this 53-year retrospective on the fatal car bombing of Sterling Hall as a Vietnam War protest, the main character is former student activist and journalist Leo Burt. Is he still alive? Even more tantalizing is the question, was he an "agent provocateur" working as an FBI plant? The story opens with a jaw-dropping anecdote about a mysterious character who says Burt is alive. The ending would have benefited from echoing that shocker. Instead, the authors chose to highlight an attorney from the case who said he hopes the legacy of the bombing is to teach future generations to be civically active. That's hardly the lesson here, as readers recall the authors' retelling the heart-rending details of the death of a hard-working grad student (not on military matters) in the bombing. Burt and his three co-conspirators are domestic terrorists and not exactly role models for civic engagement. The authors quoted one of Burt's co-conspirators as warning police in a phone message minutes before the bombing: "Okay pig listen and listen good." The research and interviews of key players for this article are extraordinary. The authors note they benefited from a class project, so kudos to the prof and students involved, too. One sad sign-of-the-times in the piece was the take on how the university denied open-records requests, yet the journalists were able to find some of the information they sought in court documents. Two other anecdotes stand out, one sad, the other ridiculous. In retelling the path Burt took to becoming a dangerous radical, the authors noted that as a reporter for the student newspaper, Burt was beaten by police in covering a campus protest. In characterizing the Keystone Cops quality of Burt's accomplices, the authors explain that in learning their way around explosives, the knuckleheads blew up UW's Primate Lab by mistake. Then came the quote about "gorilla" warfare. So much for criticism of Facebook, as the authors were able to find contemporary images of the convicted bombers. The students should be commended for tracking down principals in the sordid tale so many years later and getting interviews. Bravo for now; in the future, lights, camera, action!
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Daily Cardinal Entry Title: Jewish students found community after the Oct. 7 attacks. But for many, loneliness persists Entry Credit: Rachel Hale Judge Comment: This is an important, balanced and courageous piece, as any reporting on the horrific Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent death and devastation in Gaza is bound to open journalists to criticism. The journalists should be commended for "finding the local angle" on an international story and for providing a sounding board for Jewish students directly affected by fear and heartbreak. In the middle, the journalists give voice to the Palestinian perspective in an equally compassionate way. That's not easy to do. The writers and their editors should be praised for their reporting and writing. As the article points out, not all college campuses have been adept at caring for their students in need amid this international crisis. UW and The Daily Cardinal appear to be setting the right tone. Kudos for that! This is a story that will not fade quickly. Good luck staying on top of the latest developments.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The Badger Herald Entry Title: ‘Addiction is the opposite of connection’: Strong resource networks guide recovery efforts in Wisconsin Entry Credit: Celia Hiorns Judge Comment: Addiction is a difficult and important topic, yes, in society as a whole but especially on college campuses. This is a well-researched and comprehensive report on both the problems with addiction and possible solutions toward recovery. The italic precede offers hope and assistance to any troubled readers right off the top. The author covered several important areas and hit on two particularly pertinent challenges: e-cigarettes and fentanyl. The insights on racial breakdowns in the data were interesting and important. If there is a follow-up addiction story beyond drug use and overdose, then one might center on sports betting where addiction can lead to devastating financial distress. Onward! Addiction is a topic with multiple avenues to pursue in the future. This is a valuable piece that can make your publication proud.
