The Raider Voice Earns SNO Distinguished Site Recognition for the Fourth Consecutive Year

For the fourth year in a row, The Raider Voice has earned the prestigious SNO Distinguished Site recognition, a testament to the dedication and excellence of its student journalists. From covering timely campus events to producing engaging multimedia content like vlogs, podcasts, and mini-documentaries, the staff has worked tirelessly to maintain high journalistic standards. Below, The Raider Voice team shares insights on their journey to earning this distinction, the challenges they overcame, and their goals for the future.

Can you share some of the most impactful stories or multimedia projects that helped the site earn this distinction?

The site was judged on the basis of meeting an extensive criteria, which included earning six badges of excellence. The Distinguished Site designation demonstrates the news staff’s excellence in all six aspects of online publishing: continuous coverage, site excellence, audience engagement, story page design, writing and multimedia. While there were no specific stories that led to this distinction, some key things that helped the team earn it was establishing an average of 2,500-3,000 monthly page views, and maintaining a variety of engaging multimedia content by way of student vlogs, podcasts and mini documentary feature stories. This is the fourth year in a row that the site has earned this recognition. 

With nearly 3,000 monthly views, what strategies have you used to engage the Gulliver community and expand your audience? 

From the onset, the editors strived to make The Raider Voice an information hub of sorts. This became even more important this year with the introduction of Yondr pouches. The team established an Activities Corner with weekly reminders of important events on campus, and also featured the RaiderVision Daily Recap. The site became a one-stop site to get all of the week’s news and learn about upcoming school or athletic events. Editors and writers made sure to cover stories of interest to the school community, and developed engaging social media content that drove readers to the site.

How does the daily publishing schedule challenge and inspire the newspaper staff?

The editors establish a publishing schedule early on. With a small staff of 16 students, it was imperative that everyone do their part in order to earn the continuous coverage badge, for example. Establishing beats and a team dynamic naturally drove the publishing schedule and inspired the team. 

What role does student voice play in shaping the content and direction of the Raider Voice? 

This is very important. The primary role of a campus newspaper is to serve its community by featuring the stories that matter to them and publishing to an authentic audience. As such, The Raider Voice welcomes comments and feedback, as well as offers a forum for community voices through the Campus Voices section. 

Which of the six earned badges was the most challenging to achieve, and why?

Since we are a small staff and we did not have access to cell phones this year, the Audience Engagement badge was the most difficult to attain. In previous years, we’ve been able to hit the mark by producing a lot of content quickly through the use of cell phones. This year, students had to plan and manage their time more effectively to ensure they had the materials they needed to produce digital content or capture photos, videos, etc. as events were happening. Staff communication also played a huge part. 

What future goals does the Raider Voice have now that it has reached this national distinction?

We plan to do it all over again! At the start of the new school year, the slate is “wiped clean,” therefore, the new team will have to meet the high standards already set in place, and work to achieve this distinction for the 5th year in a row. 

How can students, faculty, and the broader community continue to support and engage with the Raider Voice?

By following us on social media and visiting our site! While you’re there you can take a look at the upcoming week’s events, read an article or two, and watch RaiderVision’s daily recap to catch up on what’s going on in our school community. We also want students to engage with our content by letting us know what’s on their minds. Letters to the Editor are always welcome, and easily accessible through our “Campus Voices” tab. 

Support the Future of Student Journalism

The continued excellence of our Digital Mass Media Program, including The Raider Voice, is made possible through the generosity of our Gulliver community. Your support of The Gulliver Fund helps provide students with the tools, resources, and experiences they need to become future-ready communicators and leaders. Give today and make an impact on the next generation of storytellers.