Flagler College Gargoyle wins best independent website in Society of Professional Journalists regional awards

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ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (03/28/2012)(readMedia)-- The Flagler College Gargoyle took first place for best independent online publication at the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence Region 3 awards. The college's student-run, online-only newspaper - gargoyle.flagler.edu - took a total of five awards, including two more first places for editor Michael Newberger in online opinion writing and sports editor Mari Pothier in online sports reporting.

A sixth award was won from a student in the Advanced Reporting class of assistant professor of communication Helena Sarkio. That piece was also published in the Gargoyle.

This is the second year a Gargoyle member took first place in the online opinion category. Last year the Gargoyle won four awards in the competition, and took second place in best independent online publication.

"This is a huge honor for us, especially since we had to compete against much larger universities and publications," said Gargoyle adviser Brian Thompson. "We were one of the smallest schools in the competition, so it really says something about the quality of the journalism taking place here at Flagler."

"I am so proud of our journalism program and the Gargoyle," Sarkio said. "We produce quality media content which students use to obtain quality jobs, even in this tough economic time."

The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism, and were announced at the regional conference at the University of Florida on March 24. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism.

Entries are first judged on the regional level, and first place regional winners now advance to the national competition. Region 3 includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. This year, the contest received more than 4,000 entries across SPJ's 12 regions.

Gargoyle Mark of Excellence award winners:

Best Independent Online Student Publication

1st place, Gargoyle

Online Opinion and Commentary

1st place, Michael Newberger, Gargoyle

2nd place, Eliza Jordan, Gargoyle

Online Sports Reporting

1st place, Mari Pothier, Gargoyle

Feature Writing

2nd place, Alex Bonus, Gargoyle

Online Feature Reporting

2nd place, Alex Bonus, Advanced Reporting

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $22,500, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.

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