The Gazette’s favourite articles

So we’ve posted top 10 sports, A&E and overall stories for the year. Now it’s time for us to decide. Our Front Office — made of three full-time paid employees including the Editor-in-Chief — chose the best articles of the year and awarded them at an annual Gazette gala. Below you’ll find all the articles selected.

Excellence in Hard News

“Midterms prompt policy discussion” by Shreya Tekriwal, Oct. 29

While final exams give accommodation for students writing three tests within a 24-hour period, midterm season isn’t so easy. Students with crammed midterm schedules were dead in the water without help from Western. Shreya investigated the situation and provided a concise hard news recap to snatch the award.

Excellence in Colour News

“Slacktivism catching on” — Stuart A. Thompson, Dec. 9

A business in the US started asking Internet users to donate moments of their time to make a big difference. While writing the article, I learned that “microvolunteering” was part of a larger issue — slacktivism — which finds people joining Facebook groups more than volunteering. The article chronicled some of the ups and downs of slacktivism and picked up an award for colour news.

Excellence in News Features

“The Price of Power” — Mike Hayes, Jan. 29

During election season, Mike grabbed a few anonymous whistle-blowers to expose one big flaw in the elections process — reporting campaign spending. The USC requires campaigns to spend within an allotted amount, but candidates apparently go over this amount at will.

Excellence in Sports Writing

Josh Buttrill hangs his head in disappointment.

“Queen’s 43 Western 39, Vanier Hopes dashed” Arden Zwelling, Nov. 16

One of the most exciting football games in recent victory, Arden travelled to Kingston to cover this season-ending game between Queen’s and Western. It was the only sports story this year to grace the front page.

Excellence in Arts & Entertainment Writing

“Owen Pallett creates fantasy world on lastest album” — Maddie Leznoff, Feb. 23

This interview with Canadian song-man Owen Pallett caught much attention after it was published, partly due to a recent name change and album release getting loads of coverage in the popular and indie press. The timely interview was skillfully written by A&E Editor Maddie Leznoff.

Excellence in Feature Writing

“Comic Books – Why they aren’t just for your kid brother” — Meagan Kashty, Jan. 8

Possibly the most dashing cover of the year for a feature, Meagan’s profile on comic books and comic book collectors was a super article. Though lengthy, Meagan brought in a number of angles and sources to give the unusual topic some human interest.

Excellence in Special Issue Writing

“Adventures in Blind Date Land” — Jesse Tahirali — Sex Issue

Known more for his comics than writing, Jesse started venturing into the written word more than ever this year. As part of the Sex Issue, we set up editors on a blind date and force them to repeat the awkward interaction for the world to see. His unique and honest writing style gave this article a touching, hilarious vibe.

Excellence in Blogging

Cooking with Grace — Grace Davis

The one and only Grace Davis took into the blogging world with a video and recipe blog that garnered much attention. We even heard the blog was featured in a feasibility project by some business students as proof that an on-campus cooking show could work.