Students take first in national competition

For Anthony Monteleone and Tyler Swezey, getting an A in their Documentary Production class would have been enough. They had no idea their short documentary, “Everyone Lives Downstream,” would go on to win first place in a national competition.
Swezey and Monteleone, both seniors in communication with an emphasis in broadcasting, sunk weeks of work into the 25-minute film, which chronicles the effects of a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) on Roaring River State Park in Missouri. The pair made the two-hour journey to the central Missouri park several times to gather interviews and shoot footage of the ill effects the CAFO has had on the popular fishing and camping destination.
“We tag teamed,” said Monteleone. “We both did interviews. We both stayed up really late.”
Their spirits were raised when the documentary was named as a finalist in the Documentary/Public Affairs division of the College Broadcasting Awards, held in October in Kansas City as part of a national collegiate journalism conference. Monteleone and Swezey were up against entries from powerhouse Ithaca University, as well as Washington State University and Central Michigan University.
While Monteleone had to stay home during the awards ceremony, Swezey was there to accept the award.
“It felt rewarding,” Swezey said. “It felt like your hard... ."
Read the complete story in the November 27th edition.