University of Virginia Library

Cavalier Daily Rated First Class
By Associate Collegiate Press

By Rob Pritchard
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The Cavalier Daily has received a
"First Class" rating for its second
semester editions from the Associate
Collegiate Press (AC), an intercollegiate
rating agency.

The "First Class" rating, second of
four possible categories, was awarded to
the University's daily student newspaper
after a comparison with other daily
papers of colleges using the AC service.

For the second semester in a row, The
Cavalier Daily received the "Mark of
Distinction" for the general category of
"coverage And content," earning a total of 870
out of a possible 950 points. Both treatment of
news (background data And features). And
balance among sources received perfect scores,
while news sources And sports coverage earned
270 out of the remaining 305 points.

A "Mark of Distinction" was also given for
writing And editing, with perfect scores being
earned-by features, straight news stories, sports
stories, And copy reading.

Effective Writing

"Effective writing should reflect multiple
sources, sound grasp of the significance of the
event in relation to the total student
community, awareness of all the sidelights
which make a story newsworthy, And sufficient
citation of sources to prove a story's validity."
Writing in their critique, the Judges added that
the "style is professional - stories are clear,
complete And concise."

Also earning an area award for distinction
was the newspaper's editorial leadership, which
took perfect scores in every category. "An
effectively written editorial," according to the
AC booklet, "should be as easy And as
pleasant to read as an effectively-written news
or feature story." The judges added that
editorial "content is current And relevant, And
editorials show thought And research."

Page One Scores

Earning a total of 1050 out of a possible
1250 points under the category of physical
appearance, The Cavalier Daily's News
Department received a perfect score for its
front page, which presented, according to the
judges, a "bright, attractive make-up."

The Photography Department received 320
points out of a total of 360 awarded, with
picture content earning a rating of excellent.

A "First Class" rating, according to the
AC, denotes an "excellent" paper judged in
competition with about 600 college newspapers
throughout the nation.

Top rating is All-American, which is
awarded only to those papers receiving "Marks
of Distinction" in four of the five general
categories. The Cavalier Daily was awarded
three such marks for coverage And content,
writing And editing, And editorial leadership.