Gaylord College Class of 2025 graduate Peggy Dodd earned Fourth Place in the nation in the prestigious Hearst Journalism Awards Program feature writing competition, recognizing one of the top collegiate feature stories in the country.
Dodd’s award-winning piece profiled the spring 1995 staff of the OU Daily and their coverage of the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City bombing and its aftermath. At the time, student journalists between the ages of 18 and 22 worked for days to report on the tragedy from all angles, including early coverage of possible motives behind the attack and the launch of a website to communicate timely, accurate information globally at a time when online news was still in its infancy.
Through interviews with former staff members, Dodd explored both their newsroom achievements and the lasting personal impact of covering one of the most significant events in Oklahoma history.
“This story is an important one for any aspiring journalist to read and learn from,” Dodd said. “The work the students of the Daily produced was award-winning in itself and was completed with careful attention paid to every headline, photo, fact, and word. They outpaced industry norms of the time, were factually accurate every step of the way, and never resorted to assumptions or fear of the unknown. They were brave and determined in their work and proved, not just to college media but to the industry as a whole, what journalism can and must be.”
A journalism major, Dodd served on the OU Daily’s editorial staff and as editor-in-chief during her time at Gaylord College. She credits Student Media Director and Newsroom Advisor Seth Prince for his mentorship throughout the reporting and writing process, along with guidance from faculty members including John Schmeltzer, Mike Boettcher and Dr. David Craig in the classroom.
The Hearst competition honors the top collegiate journalists in the nation. Dodd received a $1,000 award, and the University of Oklahoma received a matching award. She is currently the lead news reporter at The Norman Transcript.
As a native Oklahoman, Dodd said it was an honor to share the story of the Daily staffers and reflect on how the Oklahoma City bombing continues to shape those who covered it and the communities they serve.
