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Two Earn Recognition Among Nation's Top 20 Student Journalists

Media and Journalism Student, Alumna Place in Hearst Competition for Television News

A Ńż¼§Ö±²„ State student and alumnus from the School of Media and Journalism placed among the top 20 student journalists in the Hearst Journalism Awardsā€™ Television News Competition.

Jiovanni Lieggi, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in journalism in fall 2020, and Connor Steffen, a junior journalism major, placed 18th and 19th, respectively, in the national competition.

The Hearst Journalism Awards are known as the ā€œPulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism.ā€

ā€œItā€™s definitely a huge honor to be recognized by an awards program thatā€™s known as the Pulitzer Prizes of collegiate journalism,ā€ says Steffen, who is currently serving as news director of Ńż¼§Ö±²„ Stateā€™s independent television station, TV2. ā€œPlacing in such a prestigious competition kind of reaffirms to me that I am in the right major and that my hard work is not going unnoticed.ā€

Steffen is being recognized for two stories about national issues ā€” localized for the Ńż¼§Ö±²„ State community ā€” which he worked on for TV2:

ā€œFor both stories, I really enjoyed taking a somewhat complex issue (whether it be public health or politics related) and simplifying it for viewers,ā€ Steffen said. ā€œIt's fun to take a story that might not be interesting to college students and try to tell it in a compelling way so that it is.ā€

Steffen first got involved with Student Media during his freshman year at Ńż¼§Ö±²„ State, serving as an anchor, reporter, producer and executive producer before becoming news director.

ā€œŃż¼§Ö±²„ State Student Media gave me the biggest head start as a freshman journalism student. Iā€™ve been working in TV2 for over three years now and canā€™t say enough about the experience and how well itā€™s prepared me for my future career,ā€ he said. ā€œOur student newsroom runs nearly identical to how a professional newsroom runs, which gives us student journalists a huge advantage during our collegiate careers. I owe student media all the credit for getting me internships, awards and more.ā€

For alumnus Lieggi, this is his second time placing in this competition. He currently works as a multimedia journalist for KLFY in Lafayette, Louisiana, covering criminal justice and courts. He started working for KLFY while finishing his undergraduate studies in summer and fall 2020 and is now attending graduate school with Arizona State University.  

Lieggi worked on the two stories he is being recognized for while he was finishing up his Ńż¼§Ö±²„ State studies:

ā€œSince working here, I reported on two major hurricanes, ... dozens of shootings, a police chief who was arrested and gang violence,ā€ Lieggi says. ā€œŃż¼§Ö±²„ Stateā€™s professors and program have prepared me for the work Iā€™m currently doing. (Assistant Professor) Gretchen Hoak and (Associate Professor) David Fosterā€™s classes taught me to push for more than just enough.ā€

Steffen echoed Lieggiā€™s praise of Ńż¼§Ö±²„ State Media and Journalism professors.

ā€œOur two student media advisors (Associate Professor) Sue Zake and (Assistant Professor) Hoak have had a huge impact on my experience and success in collegiate journalism,ā€ Steffen said. ā€œTheyā€™re on-call 24/7 (literally ā€” sometimes thereā€™s breaking news in the middle of the night). Iā€™m really lucky to work with and learn from people who have such a strong passion for journalism. Itā€™s the kind of thing that helps grow my passion as well.ā€

Earlier this year, senior Gianna DaPra placed among the nationā€™s top 10 in the Hearst Competitionā€™s Television Features category.

To learn more about national recognition earned by Ńż¼§Ö±²„ State School of Media and Journalism students and organizations, visit our Awards and Accolades page.

POSTED: Monday, April 5, 2021 01:18 PM
Updated: Friday, December 9, 2022 02:35 PM