Daily Targum wins 1st, 2nd place in photography, 1st place in videography at NJPA annual contest
Video editors, staff photographers and video interns contributed to the three prestigious awards.
The Daily Targum was recently recognized by the New Jersey Press Association (NJPA) in the organization's annual New Jersey College Newspaper Contest. The Targum took home first place in the Online Video category and first and second place in the Photography category.
The photographs and video captured by Rutgers' independent student news organization included a 3-minute recap of the week of Rutgers' first-ever faculty strike, which began on April 10, 2023, and ended five days later on April 15, 2023.
In Rutgers' 258-year history, it was the first faculty-led strike that received coverage across all University campuses.
"Our staff worked tirelessly during strike week on all fronts, and it was amazing to see how we all banded together to create great films and articles to cover this historic event," said Brian Delk, the Targum's editor-in-chief and a School of Communication and Information junior, about the newspaper's strike coverage. "I'm glad our multimedia desks received the recognition they deserve."
NJPA, under its New Jersey Press Foundation, hosted this contest for all college and university student newspapers. Four-year institutions compete against each other while two-year institutions compete against their respective peers.
The Targum beat out the likes of The Daily Princetonian at Princeton University, The Vector at New Jersey Institute of Technology and The Montclarion at Montclair State University among other university newspapers in New Jersey.
The crew that worked on the first-place online video award was composed of co-head videographers Benjamin Horner, a Mason Gross School of the Arts junior, and Ragini Subramanian, a Rutgers Business School and School of Communication and Information junior, and photo editor Evan Leong, a graduate student in the School of Communication and Information.
Video interns Ava Peterson, a School of Communication and Information junior, Priscilla Senger, a School of Communication and Information junior, Selma Mehmedagic, a Mason Gross School of the Arts sophomore, Zachary Viray, a Mason Gross School of the Arts junior and former Rutgers student Zain Bhatti also contributed to the same project that recapped the strike.
The Targum also won first and second place in the Photography category. Leong, who was a staff photographer at the time, received the second-place award for his strike coverage. His winning photographs were used on April 10, 2023, April 12, 2023, April 14, 2023, and many other days during the week of the strike.
"The strike was such a historic event, and covering it taught me so much about visual storytelling and strategic composition. It's an honor to be selected for the award, and I'm proud to represent The Daily Targum's photography desk," said Leong.
NJPA awarded first place to former staff photographer Bhatti for his photography coverage of the strike as well. An example of the work that won the award was published on Nov. 5, 2023.
The Targum would like to extend special congratulations to Bhatti's family, a former employee who unfortunately died last semester. Bhatti's family accepted the award on his behalf. The Targum will continue to appreciate his beautiful contributions to us and admire his timeless work. He captured long-lasting memories for hundreds of families, and our staff will truly miss him.
In the weeks before the strike, the Targum's video and photo desks collaborated with each other and the news desk. Many of those who worked on the award-winning projects expressed their gratitude for being able to cover such a monumental moment.
"I'm very grateful to have covered such a historic event with a great video team and hope this award sets a positive precedent for the future of the video desk at the Targum," said Subramanian.
Subramanian, Horner and others also filmed a short documentary a month before the strike to interview key union members after the union voted to authorize the strike. Hundreds of photos and videos were captured by the Targum and broadcast on its social media and website.
"We are grateful to the New Jersey Press Association for the continuation of its wonderful student contest as it allows our journalists to shine after the many hours of hard work they put in daily," said Targum Publishing Company Board President Jessica Durando.
The news comes after the Targum received a $10,000 grant to participate in the 2024 New Jersey Technology & Sustainability Accelerator to redesign its flagship website, implement a new content management system (CMS) and revamp its "Targum Digest" newsletter. The program, held by the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, provides financial resources to local news organizations in the Garden State in partnership with Blue Engine Collaborative.
"It is so exciting to see the student leaders of the Targum embrace the digital-first evolution of the Targum and commit to publishing unique multimedia content that tells stories in new ways," said Nicole Kotsianas, the Targum's academic advisor.
ABOUT THE TARGUM PUBLISHING COMPANY
The Daily Targum is a student-led, non-profit news organization focused on providing news coverage for the Rutgers audience spanning campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden. Founded in 1869, the Targum is the second-oldest and among the largest college news organizations in the nation.
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