Samford communication and media professor Clay Carey has earned the national advising award corresponding to the state award he received this spring. The National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) announced June 11 that Carey was chosen for First Place in the category of Faculty Advisor of Student Publication, Station or Site in the organization’s 2021Communications Contest. A distinguished group of professional journalists, communications specialists and educators judged nearly 2,000 entries in a wide variety of contest categories.

Only first-place winning entries at the state level were eligible to enter the national contest. Alabama Media Professionals (AMP,) the state’s affiliate of the NFPW, previously honored Carey’s work with The Local student magazine, which earned First Place in Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) competition in March. Many of the magazine's staff earned SEJC awards for their individual contributions, and the advising honors for Carey add an important element of recognition.

Carey, a veteran reporter and editor before joining Samford’s faculty, teaches courses in print and online journalism, including introductory and advanced writing classes, visual storytelling, and the practicum classes that produce The Local. His academic research focuses on cultural studies of media, specifically the impacts of stereotypes and the roles media play in the formation and maintenance of individual and group identity. He is the author of the award-winning book The News Untold: Community Journalism and the Failure to Confront Poverty in Appalachia, and often speaks on the topic of journalism in rural communities.

NFPW is a nationwide organization of women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum, including print and electronic journalism, freelancing, new media, books, public relations, marketing, graphic design, photography, advertising, radio and television.