Downtown Devil
business@downtowndevil.com
(602) 688-9610

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Jessica Choi
Director of Public Relations
(206) 819-2510
jessica.s.choi@asu.edu

DOWNTOWN DEVIL PLACES IN SPJ NATIONAL AWARDS

PHOENIX (April 24, 2012) – On Monday, April 23, the Society of Professional Journalists announced the 2011 Mark of Excellence National winners and finalists, including two awards for the Downtown Devil.

The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in collegiate journalism in the United States. Earlier this month, SPJ announced the regional winners who then went on to the national round of judging.

The Downtown Devil placed as a national finalist for the Best Independent Online Student Publication. 

“This is really incredible,” said Dan Neligh, one of the founders and publishers for the Downtown Devil. “Getting recognized on a national level is a huge step for us and it says a lot about the kind of work that we do at the Downtown Devil.”

Neligh also placed as a national finalist for Television News Photography for his piece of the two volunteers on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Vaughn Hillyard, a guest columnist for the Downtown Devil, placed as the national winner for Online Opinion and Commentary for his 3-piece article on the development of downtown Phoenix and ASU’s engagement in the community.

“When I was asked about submitting my column, I honestly didn’t expect much,” Hillyard said. “But what this award instilled in me is some backing that words of criticism and encouragement can effectively play a role in the conversation about the development of a community.”

For more information, visit the SPJ Mark of Excellence award website at spj.org/moe11.asp or visit pr.downtowndevil.com.

About Downtown Devil

The Downtown Devil is an award-winning online publication dedicated to providing focused local news quickly, accurately and completely to students of Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus, as well as businesses and households that comprise the surrounding Phoenix metropolitan area.

Owned and operated solely by ASU students, the Downtown Devil has grown tremendously in its three years of existence.  With a staff of nearly 100 reporters, editors and digital media producers, this five days-per-week site publishes up-to-the-minute and strategic news stories daily, alongside multimedia projects, restaurant reviews, profiles and extensive coverage of arts and cultural events.

For more information, please visit http://downtowndevil.com.

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