Topic: College of Communication Information and Media

January 25, 2008

Through innovation and high quality, The Ball State Daily News has earned recognition by U.S. News and World Report.

The Paper Trail, a U.S. News blog that tracks national campus news, listed the Daily News' podcasts among the best alternative media outlets in its Best of College Newspapers 2007 poll, which closes Jan. 31. It also listed Dave Studinski, the newspaper's former editor in chief and original creator of the podcasts, among the year's best columnists for his Oct. 18 column, "Beat fall blues with 'college trail.'"

College newspapers nominated themselves for the poll, and Paper Trail compiled a list of the best nominees. The poll itself was not scientific, but Paper Trail cited the Daily News' podcasts' professional quality.

"I think it's something that shows that as technology and as other forms of information dissemination continue to become important, the Daily News is at the forefront," said Vincent Filak, the newspaper's faculty adviser and assistant professor of journalism. "The students' desire to do something great is always met with enthusiasm when it works."

Studinski began writing his column in his freshman year, focusing on technology and topics relevant to college students. His work with the Daily News has previously won awards from College Media Advisers Inc., the Indiana Collegiate Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

"Overall, I'm just really proud to be in a university that's allowed me the opportunity to experiment and excel in areas that I'm naturally talented in," said Studinski, a Fort Wayne native and graduate student in Ball State's telecommunications department. "I'm very proud of the university's long-running tradition of student media excellence."

By Alaric DeArment