Asked to write a profile story based on an interview for her Journalism 100 - Writing and Reporting for the Media class, Modesto Junior College student Erika Hafer thought immediately of one of her classmates, a Cambodian monk who would be graduating with her on April 30, 2010. Hafer’s feature story was published in the Pirates’ Log online edition on April 16. Much to the surprise of the rookie student reporter, her story was immediately reprinted, verbatim and with credit, along with the photograph by MJC student Francisco Muniz, in Cambodian news sites and blogs across the Internet.
The example illustrates the value of an online newspaper in a world where journalism can be disseminated more widely and swiftly than ever before in history. For this and other reasons having to do with student media habits, the Pirates’ Log has put extra effort into its online edition during the 2009-2010 academic year, while still publishing monthly print editions.
That effort paid off on April 11, when the Pirates’ Log earned a General Excellence Award for its online newspaper at the annual conference of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges held in Los Angeles. Although neither the editor, nor the staff or faculty adviser, Laura Paull, were present for the award announcement due to budget restraints, they learned about the award – how else? – online.
“All credit goes to our savvy online editor, Jonathan Moore, and our editor-in-chief, Paul Guerrero, who worked together with the staff to make the transition to a vibrant, multi-media online edition,” says Paull. “We will continue to improve it in the year to come.”
Sports Editor Steven Brom, who has worked on the Pirates’ Log for several semesters, also earned a Third Place Award for a sports column he wrote last fall.
The Hafer’s story about the Cambodian monk who is about to graduate from MJC can be viewed at: http://www.pirateslog.org/campus-spyglass/preparing-to-graduate-cambodian-monk-redefines-life-goals-1.1347293
Online Cambodian news sites where the Pirates’ Log story is reprinted include http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2010/04/preparing-to-graduate-cambodian-monk.html, http://khmernz.blogspot.com/2010/04/preparing-to-graduate-cambodian-monk.html and http://www.wearekhmers.com/?p=7955.
