Chatham Student News Outlet Earns Four Golden Quill Awards
Chatham University’s student-run newspaper and news site, the Communiqué, was awarded four Golden Quill Awards—one for each category in which it was nominated—last week by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania.
The winners were announced during a ceremony on May 28 at Rivers Casino Event Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
The winning Communiqué work included:
Carson Gates ’25 for his story “Chatham University announces closure of Orchard Hall” in the Student Excellence in Written Journalism — News category
Kyle Ferreira ’25 for his photo “Students dance the night away at Disuko’s rave” in the Student Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement — Feature Photo category
Abigail Hakas ’24 for her story "New gallery exhibit in Chatham University’s Woodland Hall explores African art, religion" in the Student Excellence in Written Journalism – Culture and Entertainment category
Abigail Hakas for her portfolio of opinion columns in the Student Excellence in Written Journalism — Columns/Blogs category.
Arlo Grey MacFarland '25 also was a finalist in this category for the "Lightening Rod: Pittsburgh music scene" column series.
Hakas was also a finalist in two professional categories for her work published by the Pittsburgh Union Progress and the Next Generation Newsroom, where she now works as a full-time reporter.
Chatham alumna Irina Bucur '21, who wrote for the Communiqué during her time in the University’s communication program, also was recognized in the Excellence in Written Journalism, Enterprise/Investigative — Division 2 category. She was part of a team of journalists at the Butler Eagle who collaborated with Spotlight PA and ProPublica to report on the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump and the investigation of the Secret Service that followed. Their collaborative investigation won this category.
The Golden Quills are presented each spring by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania for achievements in professional and student journalism. According to the Press Club's website, it receives approximately 1,000 entries each year from across Western Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio and West Virginia.
This year's awards were judged by the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 10 division, which includes journalists from the West and Pacific Northwest.