Tyler Junior College’s student media, The DrumBeat, received more than 50 awards at the 2022 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference.
TIPA is the oldest state collegiate press association in the nation.
The DrumBeat Student Media’s newscast won second place in the open division production competition. The organization also won second place in overall excellence for its newspaper and website, competing against schools from two divisions.
“We are extremely proud of our students and their work as converged, multimedia journalists. Winning second place for each of the platforms student media uses is a testament to the talented and hardworking students in The DrumBeat,” said Kasi Dickerson, mass communication professor and student media co-advisor.
Students who attended the conference in Fort Worth also participated in live events where they competed against approximately 300 student journalists from two-year and four-year colleges in Texas. The DrumBeat staff members walked away with five live contest awards.
“There’s truly nothing like an in-person conference. Our students were able to network with and compete against students from all over the state, and I’m so proud of the work they produced,” Dickerson said. “On top of this, students had the opportunity to learn from industry professionals and market themselves to employers, such as Texas Monthly, The Dallas Morning News, CBS 11 and more.”
The DrumBeat’s website, thedrumbeat.com, placed first in overall web design and is home to the staff members multimedia content, including video reporting, podcasting and more.
Several students were also recognized for their printed work such as breaking news coverage, headline writing, column writing, sports coverage, design and photography.
Their award-winning coverage featured topics including COVID-19, safety on campus, organization voting, the winter storm and more.
The DrumBeat student media comprises a printed newspaper, an online edition with multimedia content, a news broadcast and social media management. It is one of the oldest student organizations at TJC and is open to all majors.