The OU Daily earned a Pacemaker Award, commonly known as the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism, for its online work in results announced Saturday at the annual Associated Collegiate Press national college media conference in San Francisco.
Why it matters: 19 college media operations spanning 11 states were recognized. California led the nation with six winners. OU Daily was Oklahoma's only honoree.
One other SEC peer named: Georgia (Red and Black).
Other big-school peers honored: Daily Bruin (UCLA), Daily Northwestern, Daily Iowan, Harvard Crimson, Michigan Daily, Minnesota Daily, Daily Orange (Syracuse), Baylor Lariat.
Historical context: The Daily has been at least a finalist 10 times in 12 years, including the past five. In its history, the Daily is a 13-time finalist and nine-time Pacemaker winner. Its staff was honored as an online winner in 2005, 2009, 2023 and 2026; and as a newspaper winner in 1994, 1995, 2004, 2016 and 2017.
What they're saying: “Today’s best online sites are platforms for rich multimedia storytelling,” ACP associate director Gary Lundgren said. “Deep and diverse coverage with strong engagement and interactivity distinguish the best student-produced sites.”
Note: Work judged spanned the tenures of summer editor Ana Barboza and fall/spring editor Anusha Fathepure. In 2025, the Daily generated more than 68 million views across all platforms.
