The Northern Light student newspaper selected as Pacemaker award finalist

The Northern Light has been chosen as a finalist for the 2009 Associated College Press (ACP) Newspaper Pacemaker awards. The awards note excellence and outstanding achievement in college newspaper journalism.

Former photo editor Serine Halverson's photo was also selected as an ACP Pacemaker feature photo award finalist. Halverson, who graduated in Spring 2009 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and public communications and a minor in business administration, is currently an associate editor at Alaska Magazine.

The paper was one of 25 chosen in the category, out of 228 entries from across the nation.

Judges from the Poynter Institute based their decision off of eight different criteria: coverage and content; quality of writing and reporting; leadership on the opinion page; evidence of in-depth reporting; layout and design; photography, art and graphics.

Other finalists in the four-year non-daily category include The Miami Hurricane, from the University of Miami, the Chicago Maroon, from the University of Chicago and the Vanderbilt Hustler, of Vanderbilt University.

Winners will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Austin on Oct. 31. This is the second time The Northern Light has been selected as a Pacemaker finalist, after making the list for the first time in 2007.

For more information, please contact Executive Editor Suzanna Caldwell at (907) 786-1434.