At the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s Fall conference, which was held Oct. 5-6, Lewis and Clark Community College’s student newspaper The Bridge was awarded third place in the John M. Ryan Best of Show competition.

The conference consisted primarily of a series of seminars on journalism, with topics ranging from conducting interviews to copy editing.

It also featured guest speaker John Ferak, investigative journalist and true crime novelist. He presented several accounts of cases he’s covered over the years. Ferak gained some notability for covering the Steven Avery case, the basis of Netflix’s acclaimed “Making a Murderer” series.

Eleven community colleges were in attendance, and each submitted an edition of their newspaper to be judged by a panel of professionals. Joliet Junior College placed first, Lake Land college placed second, and Lewis and Clark placed third.

“I am beyond proud of The Bridge staff,” Advisor Louise Jett said. “The paper is full of original quotes, photographs and graphics created by talented L&C students. Collaborating on such a lengthy paper is not easy, and the staff accepts these challenges with maturity and professionalism and still manages to have fun.”

This marks the first time The Bridge has placed in the competition.

“I think that the key to our success is that our staff works really well together. We have good teamwork. We really care about the Bridge and about Lewis and Clark, which is what we always try to portray that through each issue we release,” Editor-in-Chief of the Bridge Helen Jarden said.

To learn more about the Bridge, contact Louise Jett at Ljett@lc.edu.

BRENNEN LARSON
blarson@lc.edu