Paper takes lead, awards

The staff of The Daily Cardinal put in another year of distinguished service in the 108th volume with special issues, breaking stories and dedication far above and beyond the call of duty.

Their efforts led to three Society of Professional Journalists' awards, including "Best All Around Daily Student Newspaper."

This volume marked another complete season of "GameDay," a full-color football program hand-distributed at Camp Randall before games. Its popularity and success grew and ticket holders sought out the free program for its player interviews, commentary, rosters and photographs.

The Badger's successful football season also resulted in a Rose Bowl special issue that closed out the fall semester. The issue proved the staff's capability for diligence and teamwork.

The Cardinal cracked some big stories this volume and led public discourse on the consequences of a $50 million donation to the City of Madison to create a downtown arts district.

Citizens, officials and media alike immediately praised the local businessman's gift. Though the Cardinal endorses improving the local arts scene, we were first to investigate the new district's construction plans for State and Fairchild streets.

Several businesses were made to relocate. After we published the owners' concerns, criticism of the process spread throughout the city.

Four days of intense investigation led to a Cardinal exclusive that caught the attention of Madison and national news outlets. Badger football star Ron Dayne was involved in a locker room "scuffle" that sent his teammate to the hospital for four days of reconstructive facial surgery.

The athletic department was tight-lipped about the matter, but the ongoing investigative series showed the city that students reporters can break a big story -- and before anyone else.

Financially, we have been surviving, though Madison's oversaturated media market stunts our growth; we remain primarily an eight-page, black and white newspaper. Morale is high: we make the most of what we have. The staff is anxious and able to publish more pages with more color.

Every semester, our recruitment meeting draws dozens of new staff members, most of whom would write twice as often if given the chance. Our photography department now color processes all film and our newsroom system has the ability to produce 12 or 16 pages a day.

The Cardinal may always have problems like a broken film scanner and server crashes, but as we head to the SPJ convention in Minneapolis to pick up our awards, we all will be appreciative of its contribution to our lives and our community. that is the Cardinal.