The Emory Wheel won nine awards in the 2019 Georgia College Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest on Feb. 14.
Former Executive Editor Christina Yan (21B) and Senior Editor Richard Chess (20C) won first place for “Best News Article Based on Objective Reporting” in Group II for their coverage of the contentious impeachment hearing of former Student Government Association (SGA) President Dwight Ma (17Ox, 19C) in their article “SGA Votes to Impeach Dwight Ma.” Group II is designated for writers in their junior and senior years.
In the same group and category, Chess and Editor-in-Chief Nicole Sadek (20C) won second place for their coverage of the Emory Students for Justice in Palestine’s use of eviction notices in the article “Students Outraged Over Mock Eviction Notices.”
In Group I, designated for freshman and sophomore writers, of the same category, News Editor Isaiah Poritz (22C) won second place for his coverage of controversial statements made by two Emory Law School adjunct professors over the course of one day. The article, “Two Law Professors Accused of Using the N-Word in Class,” detailed multiple accounts of professors using the racial slur in the classroom and student discussions that ensued. These incidents came soon after the well-documented accounts of Law Professor Paul J. Zwier II’s use of the N-word last year.
Poritz, former Assistant News Editor Albert Zhang and Senior Staff Writer Calen MacDonald (22C) won second place for their article “SGA Overspends by More Than $28,000” in Group I of the “Best News Article Based on Investigative Reporting” category.
Sports Editor Ryan Callahan (22C) won first place in “Best Column” Group I for his weekly column “Callahan’s Corner.” In the weekly column, Callahan discusses his thoughts on topical sports issues. Callahan has recently shared his opinions on the startling death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, the morality of Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot Gritty and the role of athletics in social justice. Assistant Sports Editor Jessica Solomon (23C) won third place in Group I “Best Sports Story” for her feature “Michael Rosenbloom is Taking Emory by Storm,” which covered a freshman golfer’s journey to Emory.
The Editorial Board received a first place award in Editorial Division A “Best Campus Community Service” for their call of SGA to impeach Ma over unjust firings that violated the SGA constitution in the editorial “Firing Cohen Crossed the Line: It’s Time for SGA to Impeach President Ma.”
“Holding the power to account is the primary function of a journalist,” the GCPA judges wrote in response to the editorial. “Calling for the impeachment of Ma and providing a supremely well-argued piece about why his removal was needed cemented The Wheel as 2019’s standard.”
The Editorial Board was also awarded first place in Group II of “Best Editorial or Editorial Series.”
The Wheel was also awarded third place in Division A of the “Layout and Design Excellence” category.
Digital Operations & Podcast Editor | Gabriella Lewis (she/her, 23C) is from San Francisco, California, majoring in political science and women, gender and sexuality studies. She hosts the podcast Wheel Talk. Outside the Wheel, she is involved with residence life and voting rights at Emory. She also enjoys national parks, eating ramen and telling people she's from California.
