Founded in 1904, The Hatchet has been editorially and financially independent from the University since 1993. The paper comes out on Mondays and Thursdays with a circulation of 12,000; its Web site, www.gwhatchet.com, receives more than 75,000 hits per week.
At the SPJ national conference, Oinounou and Senior News Editor Michael Barnett won first place in the Online Spot News category for their coverage of the death of a GW student in April 2003. Their coverage of the story also made them national finalists in the print Spot News category.
"The award really highlights how committed we are to covering breaking news," Barnett said. "Being able to report quickly and completely on a traumatic event is difficult, and our staff is one of the best in the country at doing that."
Costa said Hatchet staffers will continue to work hard to improve the quality of the newspaper.
"I think the paper is only going to get better in the months and years ahead, and that's the focus for the current staff," Costa said. "But it's nice to get this kind of respect from SPJ. I think it builds our reputation in the community and builds GW's reputation as a place where students can come and have access to a strong, independent student press in the nation's capital."
-Will Dempster contributed to this report from New York.
At the SPJ national conference, Oinounou and Senior News Editor Michael Barnett won first place in the Online Spot News category for their coverage of the death of a GW student in April 2003. Their coverage of the story also made them national finalists in the print Spot News category.
"The award really highlights how committed we are to covering breaking news," Barnett said. "Being able to report quickly and completely on a traumatic event is difficult, and our staff is one of the best in the country at doing that."
Costa said Hatchet staffers will continue to work hard to improve the quality of the newspaper.
"I think the paper is only going to get better in the months and years ahead, and that's the focus for the current staff," Costa said. "But it's nice to get this kind of respect from SPJ. I think it builds our reputation in the community and builds GW's reputation as a place where students can come and have access to a strong, independent student press in the nation's capital."
-Will Dempster contributed to this report from New York.
