SFSU Student Publications Win Prestigious National Awards

Golden Gate [X]press honored by Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisors

San Francisco State University's student newspaper and magazine, Golden Gate [X]press, recently won five national awards at the 80th annual Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisors convention in New Orleans.

The [X]press (xpress.sfsu.edu) won first prize in the Newspaper Pacemaker category for issues published during fall 2000 and spring 2001, competing against more than 150 other student-run newspapers. SFSU was the only California State University campus among the 10 schools that won a Pacemaker.

Pacemaker entries are judged on coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography, art, and graphics.

The award is considered the "Pulitzer Prize of college journalism," said Yvonne Daley, lead faculty adviser for the [X]press and assistant professor of journalism.

Marcos Mocine-McQueen, a senior from Eureka, won story of the year in the editorial category for his column on the national controversy surrounding an advertisement submitted by David Horowitz to college newspapers around the country - including the [X]press - that argued against awarding slavery reparations to African Americans. Mocine-McQueen, who is African American, wrote that newspaper staffs should not censor advertisements and therefore should run the controversial ad to spark public debate on slavery reparations.

The [X]press also won first place in the weekly newspaper category of the best of show contest for its issue published two days after the terrorist attacks. The issue featured stories and a photo essay on the response and reaction to the attacks by the campus and surrounding Bay Area communities.

The fall 2000 and spring 2001 staffs also won a Pacemaker Award for general excellence. The Oct. 11, 2001, issue of the monthly Golden Gate [X]press magazine placed fourth in the magazine feature/special audience category of the best of show contest. The magazine featured various Sept. 11-related stories, including features on a Gulf War veteran, the military draft and Bay Area firefighters.

The Associated Collegiate Press, a division of the National Scholastic Press Association, is the largest and oldest membership organization for college student media in the United States.