The Southern Accent won an “Award of Excellence ” at the 2023 Associated Church Press (ACP) annual convention for the newspaper’s anniversary coverage of the 2022 train derailment in Collegedale. The award, announced May 17 at the ACP Best of Church Press Awards held in Chicago, was presented to the student publication for in-depth coverage by a newspaper, newsletter, news service, website or blog.
According to ACP Executive Director Gregg Brekke, the Accent was selected from among 16 other entries in a “highly competitive category.” The newspaper was the only student publication among the competitors.
Judges stated, “Great coverage of an event that affected this community and the ongoing repercussions. And from a student newspaper! These young journalists have a great future ahead of them.”
The Accent produced the multimedia project in collaboration with Southern Adventist University’s Fall 2023 Investigative Reporting class taught by Professor Alva James-Johnson in the School of Journalism and Communication. Amanda Blake, Accent editor-in-chief and a student in the class, served as lead writer. Other Investigative Reporting students who contributed to the project include: Elise Deschamps, Alexis Dewey, Hannah Johnson and Jacob Nevis, with additional contributions by Accent Managing Editor Matthew Orquia and reporter Amy Mejias.
The project is part of a community news initiative in collaboration with the Center for Community News, based at the University of Vermont, to address the news desert crisis nationwide through the work of student journalists. It consists of three articles documenting the train derailment as it unfolded from different perspectives, exploring railroad safety and tracing the history of the railroad in Collegedale. The online version of the story, available on the Accent website, includes videos and 911 audio calls.
