Penn State Greater Allegheny student newspaper, The GA-Zette, recently received two state awards.
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Recognitions for Penn State Greater Allegheny’s campus newspaper continue to arrive. The GA-Zette received two second place awards in this year’s Student Keystone Media Awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association. The Student Keystone Media Awards contest recognizes high school and college journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers. Melanie McGinniss and Carlin Whalen captured the awards.
McGinniss, a senior majoring in communications at Greater Allegheny and the current GA-Zette managing editor, received two awards. She was recognized individually for her work on the newspaper’s website, and with Carlin Whalen for their layout and design production work as managing editors.
Whalen served as managing editor during the 2022-23 school year. A 2+2 student, Whalen is completing his degree in journalism at University Park. He remains a contributing writer to the GA-Zette.
“What an honor for our students to be recognized by media professionals for the work they do on the GA-Zette,” said Megan Nagel, chancellor and chief academic officer. “I am always impressed with their professionalism and their dedication to covering campus news fully and fairly. Their success is also influenced by the guidance and support they receive from their adviser, Rosemary Martinelli. She works tirelessly to ensure they have a valuable experience developing exceptional communication skills and professional networks that will help them when they graduate.”
Greater Allegheny competes in the media association’s Division II category for four-year institutions with enrollments of less than 10,000 students. It is the only Penn State campus to have its student journalists recognized in this category this year, and one of three universities in the Pittsburgh region to receive awards.
In addition to the Pennsylvania News Media Association, the GA-Zette has received previous honors from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania and the American Scholastic Press Association.
The GA-Zette is printed seasonally and posts bi-weekly on its digital platform.
