OutFAU’s April issue was devoted entirely to the Society of Professional Journalists’ notorious SIN (Spread Immoral News) & WIN contest. Critics called the competition “shockingly bad” and “totally out of line,” but we saw it as a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity.
The challenge?
Write the most unethical issue imaginable—violating every clause of the SPJ Code of Ethics. As it turns out, crafting pure journalistic villainy is almost as hard as sticking to following angelic ethics, and the exercise forced our team to think deeply about what “ethical” really means.
Out of seven national submissions, Arkansas Traveler, OutFAU, and Eastern Echo landed in the top three. The judges choices aligned with the SPJ members who cast votes in an online poll:
- Arkansas Traveler took 68.5%
- OutFAU earned 17.8%
- Eastern Echo followed with 13.7%
We’re thrilled with our silver finish — and the experience was worth far more than bragging rights.
Although the grand prize of $500 slipped through our fingers, SPJ Region 12 Coordinator Jennifer Ellis was so impressed that she dug into her limited SPJ budget to award OutFAU $250. Jennifer, thank you for recognizing our wickedly instructive effort!
You can view OutFAU’s SIN & WIN submission at anyflip.com/yepgb/yukp
Sign up to receive the OutFAU newsletter here
