Ithaca College

The Ithacan has been named a Gold Medalist for 2016-17 in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s annual college publication critique.

The critique was of work produced during the 2016-17 academic year, Kayla Dwyer ’17, editor-in-chief.

 Each year the CSPA evaluates member papers on overall content, news, depth reporting, features, opinion/editorial, sports, arts/entertainment, editing/headline writing and design/graphics based on more than 150 specific criteria. This year the paper scored 966 on the critique’s 1,000-point scale. The paper also received All-Columbian Honors — an additional honor for publications that receive very high point totals — in the Essentials and Verbal categories.

Among the judge’s comments: “The staff is adept at writing vivid narratives as displayed in memorable longform stories. Features are consistently exemplary with editorials and editorial cartoons included in each print issue, and the routine addition of special sections, like the sports preview insert, keep the paper fresh and exciting.... To the staff and adviser of The Ithacan: a very impressive publication.” 

The Ithacan is also a finalist for the 2016-17 CSPA Crown Award — the organization’s highest honor — which will be awarded at the Spring National College Media Convention in March in New York City.

The CSPA consistently ranks The Ithacan as a Gold Medalist, it's highest category. The paper was evaluated in the critique’s “hybrid” category, which is defined as “print publications that provide live coverage via website between print editions.”