By Ashley Wolfgang '14

The Knox Student, Knox College's award-winning student-run newspaper, has won recognition in the Associated Collegiate Press Story of the Year contest, a national competition for student journalists.

Competing against student newspapers from all over the country, including the University of Illinois, Indiana University, and the University of California at Los Angeles, TKS captured fourth place in the News Story category and honorable mention in the Editorial/Opinion category. The awards were announced October 26 at the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association Convention.

TKS received the fourth-place award for "Knox bans 10 people since June," an article written by Matt McKinney '13 and Kate Mishkin '16. The honorable mention award was for "Thoughts from the Embers: Don't let tuition hit $50, 000," published on January 16, 2013.

"Matt McKinney, Kate Mishkin and the editorial board deserve high praise for these recognitions, but just as much praise should be directed toward the talented, dedicated and motivated staffers that make this publication run day in and day out," said Charlie Megenity '14, TKS editor-in-chief for the 2013-14 academic year. (Photo at top: Charlie Megenity speaks with colleagues in the TKS office. Photo above: TKS staff members and TKS advisor Tom Martin, right, at President Barack Obama's speech at Knox College in July 2013.)

"Each time TKS sticks out among the likes of the big names in collegiate newspapers, we are reassured that journalism is alive and well at Knox," Megenity added.

"This makes evident the talent and drive of the students and reflects positively on the journalism program and the College," said Tom Martin, TKS advisor and editor of the (Galesburg) Register-Mail.

TKS has a history of being recognized for excellence in journalism. Earlier this year, for example, TKS won the General Excellence award for best in its division in the Illinois College Press Association contest. In 2012, TKS won seventh place nationally among similar-sized college newspapers in the Associated Collegiate Press' Best in Show competition for general excellence.

A Knox College journalism investigation, The Maytag Project, earned several top statewide journalism awards in 2012, competing against work produced by professional journalists. The awards included the highly coveted Sweepstakes Award, which the Illinois Associated Press Editors Association presents for best reporting/writing entry across all categories.

Produced as a print publication and updated frequently online, TKS has been student-written, student-run, and student-read since 1878. 

TKS was founded by Samuel S. McClure, an 1882 Knox graduate who later created McClure's Magazine, the influential Progressive Era publication that is widely acknowledged as the first American publication to focus on investigative journalism.