{"id":13680,"date":"2026-07-15T09:44:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13680"},"modified":"2026-07-15T09:44:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:44:52","slug":"warhawk-chase-keller-named-states-top-collegiate-journalist","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/warhawk-chase-keller-named-states-top-collegiate-journalist\/","title":{"rendered":"Warhawk Chase Keller named state\u2019s top collegiate journalist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo:<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aspiring journalists at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater take advantage of multiple opportunities to tell stories and cover newsworthy events as they hone their craft and prepare for their profession.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chase Keller, editor-in-chief of the Royal Purple<\/a>, a student-run, independent newspaper supported by the university, was honored by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association with the 2026 Collegiate Journalist of the Year Award<\/a> for his excellent writing and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journalism major also received the second place Breaking News Reporting Award, the third place Sports Story Award and an honorable mention for Sports Photography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels amazing,\u201d Keller said, \u201cbut I think the biggest thing that I take away from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association is [that] individual awards are nice, but we had 15 awards as an organization this year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dedication and passion have paid off for the writers and editors of the Royal Purple, which marked its 125th anniversary with award-winning leadership, writing and photography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Convention, the Royal Purple staff won a total of 15 awards for their outstanding journalism, including a second place award in Page Design and an honorable mention for their website. Individual contributors were honored for their photography and stories on sports, arts, business, health and the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Royal Purple advisor Sam Martino was also inducted, posthumously, into the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Hall of Fame<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndividual accolades don’t keep me going \u2014 it’s the love from other people and seeing other people succeed that I’m mentoring as well,\u201d Keller said. \u201cI’m so proud, and being editor and kind of overseeing all of [the Royal Purple staff] and watching them all [succeed] was great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Keller\u2019s words, the Royal Purple offers a quasi-professional experience for students interested in journalism and similar career paths. The newspaper\u2019s student staff is responsible for writing, photographing and editing 15 stories about campus and community events for their weekly publication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Students
Chase Keller, right, a journalism student from Huntley, Illinois, presides at a planning meeting of the Royal Purple staff in McCutchan Hall on Monday, April 20, 2026.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keller discovered his passion for journalism in high school when he served on his school\u2019s news magazine, The Voice. The summer before Keller\u2019s senior year of high school, he attended the Kettle Moraine Press Association Journalism camp at UW-Whitewater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The camp exposed him to all the opportunities UW-Whitewater offers budding journalists, including the Royal Purple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Keller is also involved with the campus radio station, 91.7 The Edge, and the campus TV station, UWW-TV, the Royal Purple has become one of the most important activities in his college life \u2014 often requiring Keller to put in 15 or more hours per week to ensure the newspaper is published on time and operations are running smoothly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething that I value is involvement,\u201d Keller said. \u201cI valued it in high school and definitely value it now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust the ease of getting involved here at UW-Whitewater really helps prepare me for my career. It’s the fact that this school gives you those quasi-professional experiences. It’s unlike many others across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his first semester, Keller started as the newspaper\u2019s men\u2019s sports journalist. He worked his way up the ranks to assistant men\u2019s sports editor and men\u2019s sports editor, and, during the 2025-26 academic year, Keller served as editor-in-chief. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keller\u2019s leadership and hard work have pushed the Royal Purple to greater success.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat sets Chase apart as an exceptional journalist is his ability to foster a positive working and learning environment within the newsroom,\u201d Keith Zukas, professor of journalism and Royal Purple advisor wrote. \u201cThrough his guidance, student journalists experienced a culture of respect, creativity, and growth, which translated to outstanding journalistic work reflecting both the reporters’ individual skills and the collective mission of the Royal Purple.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chase
Chase Keller, left, a journalism student from Huntley, Illinois, presides at a planning meeting of the Royal Purple staff in McCutchan Hall on Monday, April 20, 2026. (UW-Whitewater photo\/Craig Schreiner)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After graduating in December 2026, Keller plans to pursue a career in social media while freelance writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classes like Marketing for Influencers and Creators or Social Media Optimization and The New Web, coupled with opportunities the university offers for practical application, have thoroughly prepared Keller for his future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe entire journalism curriculum is well designed to prepare students for the professional world. Most classes have their own unique real-world opportunities. Even though I am going into social media for my profession, I think these courses and experiences have helped me understand how to report on different topics, which may help me in the social media realm,\u201d Keller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by Abigail Dotzler | Photos by Craig Schreiner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uww.edu\/news\/archive\/2026-07-chase-keller<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aspiring journalists at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater take advantage of multiple opportunities to tell stories and cover newsworthy events as they hone their craft and prepare for their profession.    Chase Keller, editor-in-chief of the Royal Purple, a student-run, independent newspaper supported by the university, was honored by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association with the 2026 Collegiate Journalist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[84],"story_category":[147,150],"class_list":["post-13680","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-whitewater","story_category-community","story_category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13680"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}