SHU’s Easton Courier Wins 16 Awards for Excellence

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Comeback of small-town news source gives students real-life exposure to journalism

In-depth reporting and beautiful photos in Sacred Heart University’s Easton Courier have not gone unnoticed. The online news site―published through a partnership between the town of Easton and SHU―won 16 awards from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) for excellence.

Easton, a small town near SHU’s campus, lost its local newspaper after 38 years of publication when financial woes that have plagued the industry forced the owners to close it at the end of 2018. In early 2020, SHU’s journalism program at the School of Communication, Media & the Arts (SCMA) resurrected the Easton Courier and moved it to a free, online platform, filling the town’s news void with reporting and editing by journalism students, faculty and community contributors.

The Easton Courier won four SPJ awards last year and 16 this year. Award recipients include SCMA faculty members Richard Falco, Nancy Doniger (a former editor of the original Courier) , Ann Marie Somma and Jane Paley, and recent graduate Tomas Koeck ’22.

“The SCMA challenges students to learn by doing real work that also builds an impressive portfolio for the job market upon graduation,” said Jim Castonguay, SCMA director and associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Students learn not only from accomplished Ph.D.s and scholars, but also from leading professionals from the media and communication industries. Ann Marie Somma, Jane Paley, Rick Falco, Nancy Doniger and Taci Batista―all SCMA faculty―have brought their expertise as professional journalists to the project, and dozens of SCMA students have benefited as a result by having their stories published in the Courier. The success of this project can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of these faculty members, who volunteered additional time outside the classroom to write and edit stories and to mentor our students. We also are thrilled SCMA graduate Tomas Koeck was among the award winners this year.”

Falco said he’s had many conversations with his Courier colleagues about the loss and importance of local journalism. “I am very proud of what we have been able to do with the Courier,” he said. “Over the past several years, venues for local journalism have changed radically. Newspapers and magazines are experiencing serious financial difficulties, and many media outlets have been forced to close. When we put these ideas into action as a collaboration between the University and a local town, we saw it as a solution to an issue that has seriously impacted the entire country.”

Castonguay said SCMA’s innovative educational approach to nonprofit local journalism “can serve as a model for other colleges and universities throughout the United States. The cumulative effect would improve democracy at the national level by combating misinformation through responsible journalism at the local level.”

Koeck, who graduated in May with a degree in media arts, said working on the Easton Courier provided the opportunity for him to work in the professional field. He also benefited from creative flexibility and the chance to find his voice in a regular column.

“My column was called ‘Sunday Nature Walk,’ which focused on a new nature topic every week,” he said. “It enabled me to factor in connections I had with different organizations and nonprofits. This led to an insightful and informative outlet that I feel proud of.”

“The Courier team is also grateful to our readers and contributors from Easton who have made this community journalism project such a successful partnership,” Castonguary said. “It is especially gratifying to receive these awards from professional peers outside of Connecticut. The fact that we were recognized for our coverage in areas like diversity, education and government, as well as in-depth news, local reporting, photojournalism and multimedia, is a testament to the breadth and depth of the Courier's coverage.”

All of the Easton Courier’s wins were in the hyperlocal category’s divisions:

All SPJ award winners were recognized at a reception on June 25 at the Ansonia Nature Center pavilion.screenshots from easton courier website