The TCU Daily Skiff has been named an All American Newspaper, earning
five marks of distinction for the 2005 - 2006 school year from the
Associated Collegiate Press (ACP). This is the second time in three
years that the publication, which is produced by students in TCU’s
Schieffer School of Journalism, has been honored with the award. The
distinction is the highest award bestowed by the organization.
University newspapers undergo an extensive review by independent
college newspaper advisers and ACP professionals before qualifying to
receive ACP honors. The assessments are based on standards of
quality established from the submissions of hundreds of college
newspapers, according the organization. The Skiff excelled in the broad
categories of coverage and content; writing and editing; photos, arts
and graphics; layout and design; and leadership.
“It’s obviously great to win awards and recognition,” said Robert
Bohler, student publications director for The Skiff. “The ACP
assessment is one that seriously addresses each and every fact of a
newspaper. We have some leeway over which newspapers to submit, but
they have to be in a series. You can’t hide excellent editions among
mediocre ones and expect to get good ratings. To win five marks of
distinction, the students first have to produce as solid a newspaper as
possible on a daily basis. This rating is a tremendous reward for their
efforts.”
The ACP evaluation was based on presence and quality of: news and news
feature stories; feature stories; sports stories; enterprise,
investigative and in-depth stories; editorials, opinion columns and
reviews; story writing, editing and proofing; headlines; photo
captions; photo content; photo technical quality; information graphics;
editorial cartoons and comic strips; graphics and incidental art; story
art; page ones; inside news feature and sports pages; opinion pages;
special sections and page spreads; typography; color; advertising;
layout and design; leadership and news judgment; diversity of coverage;
ethical and legal compliance; coverage of minority populations;
diversity of viewpoints on opinion pages; and reader feedback.
