Former OU Daily editor-in-chief Peggy Dodd placed fourth in the nation this week in the Hearst Awards’ feature reporting category for her story on how Daily alums covered the Oklahoma City bombing and its continuing impact on their lives.
Dodd’s piece was part of a series of stories marking 30 years since the nation’s worst domestic terror attack. It chronicled how the Daily’s staff covered one of the worst stories in Oklahoma history before they were, in some cases, legally allowed to drink.
“How their work got the story right — as trustworthy journalism always must,” Dodd wrote. “How their work outpaced industry norms — as innovative college media always can. How their work that day and in those that followed forever imprinted itself on their lives, and what it means to them 30 years later.”
The contest honors the top 20 pieces of feature reporting in the nation produced by college students. Dodd will receive a $1,000 award for the honor, and OU will receive a matching amount.
This marks the Daily’s first placement of the 2025-26 Hearst cycle, which staggers its category deadlines throughout the academic year.
Since 2014-15, the Daily now has placed 30 times in the contest, which honors the best in collegiate journalism.
Dodd, a spring 2025 graduate from Jones with a deep affection for Norman, is now the lead news reporter at The Norman Transcript.
