The Trailblazer’s editor recently took top honors in the Opinion Writing category for the Newspaper II division during the Indiana College Press Association (ICPA) annual awards presentation.

Noah Dalton, journalism, Bedford, earned the award for a column he wrote titled “Practicing journalism without a license?”

Dalton’s column focused on a proposal by Indiana lawmaker Jim Lucas that would require journalists to register with the Indiana State Police to continue to practice journalism professionally.

In his column, Dalton took opposition to the proposal, arguing that it would directly threaten the rights given to the press under the First Amendment.

In their comments, ICPA judges noted that Dalton “draws attention to an important issue that not enough people know about and brings his readers up to speed. Then he goes on to take a principled stand that, in addition to educating his readers, might actually change someone’s mind. This is rare in the world of opinion writing, and it’s a wonderful thing to see.”

The ICPA conference is an annual gathering of student publications from around the state. This year’s event took place on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Sat, April 7.

Students were able to choose from a wide range of sessions led by educators and professional journalists. Topics included public records laws, capturing the visual side of the story, advertising, sports media, apps for journalists, social media and a photography walking tour.