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Student journalists from “The Point” Broadcast Newsroom at College of the Ozarks, pictured left to right: (Back row) Matthew Clark, Abigail Johnson, Aric Avey, Neal Kessler; (Middle Row) Jacob Henry, Gabbi Keim, Olivia Moss, David Mazula; (Front Row) Alaura Ostendorf, senior speech communication major; Clancy Callahan, Autumn Garrett. Not pictured: Bethany French.
POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Student journalists from “The Point” Broadcast Newsroom at College of the Ozarks have been recognized with 27 awards for outstanding broadcast journalism.
Top awards presented to the student journalists included “Best All-Around Television News Magazine,” “Winner – Television Feature Reporting,” “Winner – Television Sports Reporting,” “Winner – Hard News Story,” “Winner – Photographer,” “Winner – Feature News Report,” “Winner – Magazine Program,” and “Winner – News Writer.”
“These students are excellent young journalists,” said Erin Hayes, professor of the Practice of Journalism and supervisor of “The Point.” “They strive to produce quality work, they work together beautifully as a team, and they bring a professional mindset to all that they do. I am not just proud of them — I’m grateful for them. The profession of journalism needs good, honest, truth-seeking young people to fill its ranks, and our graduates of ‘The Point’ are proving to be well-suited for that mission.”
Hayes is an alumna of College of the Ozarks and an award-winning former ABC national news correspondent. She has received numerous prestigious awards, including four Edward R. Murrow Awards, the National Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting, and three Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards, among others.
The students who received awards were as follows:
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- David Mazula, 2025 journalism graduate from Oregon, Illinois
- Autumn Garrett, 2025 journalism graduate from Independence, Missouri
- Neal Kessler, senior video production major from Webster Groves, Missouri
- Jacob Henry, 2024 video production graduate from Stockton, Missouri
- Clancy Callahan, 2025 journalism graduate from Swifton, Arkansas
- Wyatt Cochran, senior journalism major from Eagle Rock, Missouri
- Aric Avey, 2024 journalism graduate from Fairfield Bay, Arkansas
- Matthew Clark, 2024 video production graduate from Maldon, Missouri
- Olivia Moss, senior video production major from Jasper, Missouri
- Cody Davis, junior music theory major from Hollister, Missouri
- Gabbi Keim, senior agricultural development major from Grain Valley, Missouri
- Abigail Johnson, senior journalism major from Castile, New York
- Bethany French, 2023 journalism graduate from Springfield, Missouri
The honors were conferred by three esteemed collegiate journalism organizations: the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Region 7, the Missouri Broadcast Educators Association (MBEA), and the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).The Mid-America Chapter of NATAS (also known as “the Emmy Awards”) promotes innovation and integrity in visual media throughout the region. Its Student Production Awards celebrate outstanding college and high school journalism achievements, recognizing excellence in storytelling that contributes to cultural, educational, and news media advancement.
The Missouri Broadcast Educators Association (MBEA) recognizes individual and collaborative excellence among Missouri college students through its College Media Awards. MBEA encourages academic and creative achievement while strengthening broadcast education throughout the state.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, championing ethical reporting and freedom of the press. Its Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards highlight the best in student journalism across a multi-state area, honoring work that meets the highest professional standards.
The 2024 Awards for “The Point” student journalists were as follows:
From the Mid-America National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences:
- Winner – Feature News Report: “The Reunion of the Crew of the U.S.S. David Ray”
- David Mazula, Autumn Garrett, and Neal Kessler
- Honorable Mention – Feature News Report: “Major Nutsch”
- Jacob Henry, Clancy Callahan, and Wyatt Cochran
- Winner – Magazine Program: “The Point” April 8, 2024
- Aric Avey, Matthew Clark, and David Mazula
- Honorable Mention – Magazine Program: “The Point” Veterans Day Edition
- Olivia Moss, Neal Kessler, and David Mazula
- Honorable Mention – Magazine Program: “The Point” September 19, 2024
- Autumn Garrett, Olivia Moss, and Jacob Henry
- Winner – Photographer: The Photojournalists of “The Point”
- Cody Davis, Gabbi Keim, Abigail Johnson, Aric Avey, Clancy Callahan, Matthew Clark, Wyatt Cochran, Autumn Garrett, Jacob Henry, Neal Kessler, David Mazula, and Olivia Moss
- Winner – News Writer:
- Honorable Mention – News Writer:
From the Society of Professional Journalists Region 7:
- Winner – Best All-Around Television News Magazine: “The Point”
- Executive Producer Autumn Garrett, Aric Avey, Clancy Callahan, Matthew Clark, Wyatt Cochran, Cody Davis, Jacob Henry, Abigail Johnson, Gabbi Keim, Neal Kessler, David Mazula, and Olivia Moss
- Winner – Television Feature Reporting: “A Night to Shine”
- Gabbi Keim, Autumn Garrett, Jacob Henry
- Winner – Television Sports Reporting: “A Coach’s Story”
- Clancy Callahan, Wyatt Cochran, Olivia Moss, and Abigail Johnson
- Finalist – Television Feature Reporting: “Reunion of the U.S.S. David Ray”
- David Mazula and Neal Kessler
- Finalist – Television Breaking News Reporting: “Major Nutsch”
- Jacob Henry, Wyatt Cochran, and Clancy Callahan
From the Missouri Broadcast Educators Association:
- Hard News Story – First Place: “Remember”
- Olivia Moss, Clancy Callahan, and Wyatt Cochran
- Hard News Story – Third Place: “Veterans Day”
- Aric Avey, Abigail Johnson, Olivia Moss, and Jacob Henry
- Hard News Story – Honorable Mention: “Cutting Them Down”
- Wyatt Cochran, Jacob Henry, Neal Kessler, David Mazula, and Abigail Johnson
- Feature News Story – First Place: “A Night to Shine”
- Gabbi Keim, Neal Kessler, Matthew Clark, Abigail Johnson, and Clancy Callahan
- Feature News Story – Third Place: “Solar Eclipse”
- Neal Kessler, Olivia Moss, and Gabbi Keim
- News Writing – Second Place: “Everyone Has a Story”
- Sports Package – First Place: “Coach Richardson”
- Clancy Callahan, Wyatt Cochran, Olivia Moss and Abigail Johnson
- Sports Package – Second Place: “Basketball Post-Season”
- Clancy Callahan and Wyatt Cochran
- Sports Package – Third Place: “Baseball is Here”
- Clancy Callahan, Wyatt Cochran, Neal Kessler, Abigail Johnson, and Bethany French
- Sports Package – Honorable Mention: “Volleyball Season”
- Clancy Callahan, Wyatt Cochran, Jacob Henry, and Abigail Johnson
- News Show (non-recurring) – First Place: “The Point” April 2, 2024
- Executive Producer Autumn Garrett, Aric Avey, Jacob Henry, and David Mazula
- News Show (non-recurring) – Second Place: “The Point” Christmas Edition
- Executive Producer Autumn Garrett, Olivia Moss, Gabbi Keim, and David Mazula
- News Show (non-recurring) – Third Place: “The Point” February 15, 2024
- Executive Producer Autumn Garrett, Aric Avey, Jacob Henry, and Abigail Johnson
- News Show (non-recurring) – Honorable Mention: “The Point” March 3, 2024
- Executive Producer Autumn Garrett, Aric Avey, Olivia Moss, and Gabbi Keim