For the seventh year in a row, the College of the Ozarks student-produced broadcast news magazine, The Point, has been recognized for excellence in student journalism.

Three professional organizations – the Society of Professional Journalists, the Mid-America National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy) organization, and the Missouri Broadcast Educators Association – all presented awards to The Point student journalists for news stories produced in 2023.

In all, The Point received 27 state and regional awards for 2023. To date, student journalists of The Point have received over 120 college journalism awards since the program’s inception.

"The students of The Point Broadcast Newsroom are dedicated, hard-working journalists who give me hope for the future of journalism," said Erin Hayes, associate professor of journalism and supervisor of the Newsroom. "Our young journalism program is focused on training journalists committed to the objective pursuit of truth, to reporting without bias, to reporting with excellence. To see my students' efforts honored, once again, by professional journalism programs is affirmation that we are doing good work."

Awards

Mid-America National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Production Awards (open to colleges and universities in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Iowa, and Louisiana):

College News Magazine – Winner: The Point April 27, 2023

• Aric Avey, 2024 graduate from Fairfield Bay, Arkansas B.A. in journalism  
• Cienna Romines, 2023 graduate from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, B.A. in journalism
• David Mazula, senior journalism major from Oregon, Illinois

 College News Magazine – Winner: The Point Christmas Edition

• Aric Avey
• David Mazula
• Abby Johnson, junior journalism major from Castile, New York

College News Report  Light News – Winner: “Sweet Stuff”

• Clancy Callahan, senior journalism major from Swifton, Arkansas
• Jaden Lester, 2024 graduate from Heber Springs, Arkansas, B.A in journalism and criminal justice  
• Matthew Clark, senior history and video production major from Malden, Missouri

College Arts/Entertainment/Cultural Affairs Reporting – Winner:  “A.I. Is Here”

• David Mazula
• Cienna Romines
• Aric Avey

College Arts/Entertainment/Cultural Affairs Reporting – Winner:  “Icon Artists”

• Abby Johnson
• Clancy Callahan
• Jacob Henry, senior video production major from Stockton, Missouri

College Craft News Writer – Winner:  

• Clancy Callahan

College Craft Photographer – Winner:

• The Photojournalists of The Point

College News Report Light News – Nominee: “First Week”

• Clancy Callahan
• David Mazula
• Jacob Henry

College News Report Light News – Nominee: “Dairy Auction Day”

• Aric Avey
• Matthew Clark
• Abby Johnson

College Non-Fiction Short Form – Nominee:  “Veterans Day”

• Olivia Moss, junior journalism and video production major from Jasper, Missouri
• Autumn Garrett, senior journalism major from Independence, Missouri
• Jacob Henry

College Sports Story or Segment – Nominee: “National Champions”

• Clancy Callahan
• Cienna Romines
• Jaden Lester

Craft Talent – Nominee:

• Aric Avey

Craft Editor – Nominee: 

• Clancy Callahan

Society of Professional Journalists Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards (open to colleges and universities in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska):

Best All-Around Television News Magazine – Winner: “The Point Newscast “

• Aric Avey
• Cienna Romines
• David Mazula

• Bethany French, 2023 graduate from Brighton, Illinois, B.A. in journalism

Television General News Reporting – Winner:  “Veterans Day”

• Olivia Moss
• Autumn Garrett
• Jacob Henry
• Aric Avey

Television Feature Reporting – Winner: “First Week”

• Clancy Callahan
• David Mazula
• Jacob Henry
• Jaden Lester

Winner:  Television Sports Reporting – Winner: “National Champions”  

• Clancy Callahan
•  Cienna Romines
• Jaden Lester

Television Feature Reporting – Finalist: “Children’s Trick or Treat”  

• Clancy Callahan
• Jaden Lester
• Matthew Clark

Missouri Broadcast Educators Association College Media Awards (open to colleges and universities in Missouri):

First Place:  News Show (Non-Recurring) – First Place: “The Point” April 27, 2023

• Aric Avey
• Cienna Romines
• David Mazula

First Place:  Hard News Story – First Place: “Never Forget”

• Aric Avey
• Clancy Callahan
• Abby Johnson
• Autumn Garrett

Feature News Story – First Place: “Auction”

• Aric Avey
• Matthew Clark
• Abby Johnson

Sports Package – First Place: “Back in the NAIA”

• Clancy Callahan
• Bethany French
• Abby Riffel, 2024 graduate from Sterling, Kansas, B.A in journalism
• Cienna Romines

 News Show (Non-Recurring) – Second Place: “The Point Snow Coverage”

• Aric Avey
• Bethany French
• Jaden Lester

Feature News Story – Second Place: “History of the Watson”

• Matthew Clark
• Aric Avey
• Abby Johnson
• Autumn Garrett

News Show (Non-Recurring) – Third Place: “The Point Christmas Edition”

• Aric Avey
• David Mazula
• Abby Johnson

Sports Package – Third Place: “National Champions”

• Clancy Callahan
• Cienna Romines
• Jaden Lester

Scriptwriting – News – Third Place:

• Clancy Callahan

About the organizations

Mid-America National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences:

The board of Mid-America NATAS (the “Emmy People”) celebrates innovation and integrity across all platforms of visual media and is dedicated to advancing careers and promoting educational opportunities in Mid-America for the next generation.   The purpose of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Production Awards is to recognize outstanding student achievement in production by conferring awards of merit in the Chapter’s designated awards region.  The presentation of these awards is intended to be an incentive for the continued pursuit of excellence by those studying media and journalism and to focus public attention on outstanding cultural, educational, technological, entertainment, news and informational achievements by undergraduate college and/or high school students.

Missouri Broadcast Educators Association:

The Missouri Broadcast Educators College Media Awards were created to showcase individual accomplishments and group projects from Missouri college students. Students enrolled in a Missouri University or College are eligible to participate. The Missouri Broadcast Educators Association was formed to encourage and coordinate educational and instructional activities related to broadcast education to the end that the benefits may have the greatest possible effect on broadcast education in Missouri.

Society of Professional Journalists – Region 7:

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.  SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism.

More About The Point Broadcast Newsroom

The Point Broadcast Newsroom is an applied learning workstation at College of the Ozarks.  Student journalists produce the bi-weekly broadcast news magazine The Point with a focus on stories of interest to the campus community.  The Point Broadcast Newsroom was established in the fall of 2016.  Since then, student journalists of The Point news magazine have been honored with more than one hundred and twenty collegiate journalism awards at the state, regional, and national levels. 

More About Erin Hayes

Erin Hayes is the College of the Ozarks’ journalism professor and the supervisor of The Point Broadcast Newsroom.  Hayes is an award-winning journalist and former ABC national news correspondent. In 2017, she was inducted into The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle. She is a four-time recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and a winner of the National Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting. She received the National Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, three Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards (broadcasting’s Pulitzer Prize), and was recognized for her work during ABC News’ coverage of 9/11.  Hayes is an alumna of College of the Ozarks, and she was a professional broadcast journalist for 34 years before returning to College of the Ozarks to develop the college’s broadcast journalism program.