Wagner College journalism professor Claire Regan ’80 has been honored by the New York State Associated Press Association. In this year’s Associated Press graphics competition, Regan won honorable mention in the spot-news presentation category for a page she designed for the Staten Island Advance, where she is associate managing editor. The page covered the election of President Obama. Her entry competed against state newspapers with circulations of 50,000 and higher.
Regan's award-winning page was published on Nov. 5, the day after the presidential election. To illustrate the historical significance of the election, she arranged black-and-white photographs of all 43 U.S. presidents in mosaic style, setting off a color photograph of Barack Obama at the center that was taken after his acceptance speech.
The designer's challenge was to present the election story the next day in a compelling and interactive way. Regan told the story with photos. Summary text referred readers inside to the most significant election news, including local coverage.
The impact of the bold, red headline, “America's historic vote,” and the interactivity of the presidential photos — a key with their names appeared on Page A2 —made the page a favorite among readers.
A lifelong Staten Islander, Ms. Regan is a 1980 graduate of Wagner College, where she is an assistant professor of journalism.
She has studied visual journalism at the American Press Institute in Reston, Va., and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she also completed a yearlong fellowship in journalism ethics and has been a visiting faculty member.
This is her ninth award from the Associated Press for her editing and design work.
The Nov. 5 front page has won Ms. Regan several other accolades:
- On May 19, she received the top design award from the Deadline Club, the New York City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, during a dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
- On June 15, the page earned Ms. Regan the Best Headline and Front Page Award from the New York Press Club, presented during a dinner at the Water Club.
- The page was also included in a book of election front pages published by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Only 75 pages from around the world were selected for the commemorative book.
The Advance's front page covering Obama's inauguration — published on Jan. 20 and designed by Ms. Regan — was also selected for an updated edition of the same book.
Reprinted from the Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 issue of the Staten Island Advance.
