Cronkite Students Win Major Awards at 2018 BEA Festival of Media Arts

[[{“fid”:”923″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”type”:”media”,”link_text”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”panopoly-image-original media-element file-default”}}]]Arizona State University journalism students won more awards at the Broadcast Education Association’s annual Festival of Media Arts competition than any other school in the nation, including an award for the top newscast.Students in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication won a total of 11 awards in the news, sports, documentary and audio divisions. This year marks the eighth time in nine years that the Cronkite School has finished with the most news division awards. In all, Cronkite students have won 147 awards at the Festival of Media Arts in the past nine years, more than any school in the country.Cronkite News, the news division of Arizona PBS, won Best of Festival for the Nov. 16, 2017, newscast, which included reports on domestic abuse in American Indian communities and a bill that would establish Arizona’s Route 66 as an historic trail.“Cronkite News has been a perennial winner at the BEA’s Festival of Media Arts because of the outstanding work of our students,” said Cronkite Associate Dean Mark Lodato. “It’s a testament to the tremendous instruction that they receive from our faculty.  We look forward to recognizing our students’ achievements at the BEA convention this spring.”The Best of Festival recipients will be honored at the BEA’s annual convention in Las Vegas in April.Cronkite students Adriana De Alba and Tyler Paley tied for first place in Television Hard News for stories they produced for Cronkite News. De Alba’s award-winning entry examined the impact of the proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall on a Texas retirement community. Paley reported on the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017.Zac Pacleb took first in Television Sports Talent (Anchor/Host) for his work on Cronkite News and student media. De Alba also took third place in Television Feature for a Cronkite News piece on an agricultural program for Navajo high school students.In the documentary category, Kristina Vicario, Louisa Stanwich and Allie Barton won an Award of Excellence for “MANZO” about an elementary school in Tucson, Arizona, that employs gardening to help at-risk children. Tyler Paley also won an Award of Excellence for “Fighting for Fearlessness,” which follows a “dreamer” who pursues a passion for professional boxing despite an uncertain immigration future. The piece appeared on Cronkite News, Arizona Horizon and Fox Sports Arizona.Two more Cronkite projects won Awards of Excellence in the educational program category. Adrienne St. Clair and Andrew Nicla won for “In Focus DACA Special Report,” the final segment of a six-part report on the Dream Act. Blake Benard won for “A Unique Approach to Training” about the Arizona State University swim team.The winners were selected from a pool of more than 1,540 entries representing more than 175 colleges and universities.Established in 1955, the BEA is a global professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students who are interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises.The complete list of Cronkite winners include:Student NewscastBest of Festival: Maya Patrose, Chase Boeke and Jade Nicole Yeban, Cronkite News Nov. 16, 2017Television Hard NewsFirst (tie): Adriana De Alba, “Border Wall Encroaches on Texas Retirement Community,” Cronkite NewsFirst (tie): Tyler Paley, “Aftermath of Las Vegas Shooting,” Cronkite NewsTelevision Sports Talent (Anchor/Host)First: Zac Pacleb, sports reelTelevision FeatureThird: Adriana De Alba, “Kayenta Agricultural Program Helps Navajo Students,” Cronkite NewsTelevision Sports Story/FeatureAward of Excellence: Troy Lynch, “Swimming Helps Horses for Race Day,” Cronkite NewsTelevision SportsNews ProgramAward of Excellence: Troy Lynch and Blaine McCormick, “ASU Football Show Episode 12,” SBNation: House of SparkyStudent DocumentaryAward of Excellence: Kristina Vicario, Louisa Stanwich and Allie Barton, “MANZO”Award of Excellence: Tyler Paley, “Fighting for Fearlessness,” Cronkite News (also appeared on Fox Sports Arizona and Arizona Horizon)Educational ProgramAward of Excellence: Adrienne St. Clair and Andrew Nicla, “In Focus DACA Special Report,” Cronkite NewsAward of Excellence: Blake Benard, “A Unique Approach to Training,” Cronkite News