Journalism Students Take Top Honors in Professional Contests
July 2019
The University’s journalism department and student newspaper, The Beacon Today, recently won awards from three professional journalism and communications organizations.
The Beacon Today won in the following student divisions of the Florida Society of News Editors’ journalism contest:
In the Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sunshine State Awards, The Beacon Today was a finalist for the following categories:
The journalism department received four Communicator Awards, international awards which recognize big ideas in marketing and communications:
Journalism professor Dr. J Israel Balderas and student directors Tim DeMoss and Sarah Roulette produced the documentary in partnership with the intercultural studies department. The film tells the stories of four Syrian refugee families living in Jordan.

Balderas’ interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro was recorded at the Warren Library in conjunction with the LeMieux Center for Public Policy’s speaker series.
Photo 1: Jacklyn Streng, journalism professor Dr. J. Israel Balderas and Tim DeMoss pose for a photo while on location filming their award-winning documentary, "Four Families in Mafraq." They produced the documentary, which tells the stories of four Syrian refugee families living in Jordan, in conjunction with the intercultural studies department.
Photo 2: Journalism Professor Dr. J. Israel Balderas interviews Jeanine Pirro in the Warren Library in February in conjunction with the LeMieux Center for Public Policy.