Once a year, hundreds of journalists gather in a city somewhere in the United States to network, discuss trends in the field and learn from one another. The Excellence in Journalism Conference (EIJ) is the largest journalism event in America, and this year, two journalism students from Waynesburg University were able to attend.
Mattie Winowith and Teghan Simonton, executive editor and managing editor of the Yellow Jacket, respectively, travelled to Anaheim, California last week to attend the three-day conference.
“It was such an incredible experience,” said Winowitch. “Just to be in a huge room with other journalists – people who are passionate about the same things we are.”
Winowitch and Simonton went to EIJ to receive a national award from the Society of Professional Journalists, having won first place recognition for In-Depth Reporting among small schools across the entire country. The award acknowledged a series printed in the Yellow Jacket over the past two semesters, “Ongoing Drug Issues in the Community.” Both Simonton and Winowitch helped author the five-part series, along with two now-graduates, Anthony Conn and Kimmi Baston.
“We were honestly shocked to find out that we’d won,” said Simonton. “We just felt incredibly honored and excited to have our hard work appreciated in such a monumental way.”
The series explored various aspects of the heroin epidemic ravaging Greene County and surrounding areas, said Simonton. The reporters who worked on the stories conducted dozens of interviews with community members, as well as students and faculty of Waynesburg. The award marks the first time Waynesburg students have ever been nationally recognized for journalism.
Despite countless hours of work on the series, though, Winowitch and Simonton did not originally think they would be able to attend EIJ, for financial reasons. But after their award garnered attention from local newspapers in July, an anonymous donor decided to change that.
“A very generous donor gave an enormous sum to Waynesburg, just to be used for our trip,” said Winowitch. “We can’t even say how grateful we are. There aren’t words to describe that kind of selflessness.”
Additionally, and completely coincidentally, both Simonton and Winowitch received student fellowships from the Columbia School of Journalism, which covered their travelling costs and registration fee. They were two of only five students chosen from a number of applicants.
“I don’t even understand how it all came together so perfectly,” said Simonton.
While at EIJ, Winowitch and Simonton were able to attend a “J-expo” job fair, career profile critiques and several breakout sessions that explored journalism’s changing landscape. Sessions covered topics ranging from data journalism, reporting on natural disasters, covering hate groups and “pressing the president.”
“My favorite part was a session that discussed womens’ role in journalism,” said Winowitch. “Even though we’ve been so successful, there is still a lot that females have to overcome, so it was a very relevant, interesting topic.”
Both students said they made valuable connections with other journalists, and learned lessons that they can bring back to their work at the Yellow Jacket.
“I really loved talking to reporters, editors and educators from all over the country,” said Simonton. “It’s amazing to know we are all on the same team, and we can all learn from each other.”