Three University of Arkansas at Little Rock student journalists were recognized for their outstanding work with Diamond Journalism Awards, a regional competition sponsored by the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. 

The awards, which were presented Oct. 25 at Little Rock’s Flying Saucer, recognize outstanding journalism by professionals and students from Arkansas and bordering media markets in Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The awards honor work published or broadcast between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018.

Student reporter Ryan Bourgoin of UA Little Rock’s newspaper, The Forum, took home first place in the student journalism news category for his story, “eStem walks out in memory of Parkland shooting victims.”

Judge Robert Bohler, a Texas-based communications specialist and former student media adviser, described the story as “timely, well-developed, nuanced, and clearly written story on the walkout.”

Also winning an award in the same category, Christine Kemper of The Forum won third place for her story, “Little Rock participates in nationwide women’s march.”

“This is very good coverage of the women’s march,” Bohler said.

A third reporter from The Forum took first place in the student journalism sports category. Kolton Rutherford won the award for his story about the women’s basketball team, “LR women looking to make their own postseason magic.”

“The advance story on LR’s NCAA tournament opener is an example of good storytelling that reflects LR’s recent ups and downs as well as is historical tournament accomplishments,” Bohler commented.