Conrad Fink, journalism professor at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication

Brian Hughes is among the top 10 college journalists in the country, not top 100. I say this on 25 years of doing journalism (foreign correspondent and vice president of Associated Press) and 26 teaching it. 

I also compare Hughes very favorably to college journalists I studied nationwide in researching one of my books, "Writing Opinion for Impact."

My awareness of his advanced skills arose after a couple semesters watching his reporting and writing and mentoring him within and outside my demanding courses. Thought I: "This guy is at a point in his development and commitment to watchdog journalism that I would expect from an AP veteran of three or four years."  This is a good 'un. 

Ed Morales, advisor for The Red & Black

Brian Hughes is one of the better reporters I've come across, be it on a college campus or in the newsroom of a professional paper. The key to Brian's prowess is tenacity. Brian never backs down from asking the tough question or spending hours finding the one document or fact that makes the project worthwhile. In the past year, Brian has uncovered sex offenders on campus, written about a shocking cold-case murder of a UGA student, and uncovered a Facebook trend where profiles of dead students remain active, serving as electronic epitaphs. He's a strong writer who excels in organization and fact finding, and will be one of the better journalists working in the next decades.

Walter Jones, bureau chief for Morris News Service

Tall and quiet, Brian projects a friendly manner that belies his tenacity and depth. He often got stories by charming them out of legislators or lobbyists, but when that didn’t work, he got the story by digging, digging, digging. Let me give you two examples.

First, he wanted to do a story about what lawmakers do to stay fit during the long hours and frequent cocktail parties that characterize the legislative session. He repeatedly called a couple of local lawmakers who had promised to meet him sometime at a college gym that they used near the Capitol, but they kept getting too busy to call him back. He finally connected and met them at the gym at 5:30 a.m. with a notebook and photographer. It turns out the governor also played racquetball there and agreed to sit down for an interview with Brian. When the story ran, a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution told me he had been trying for months to talk with the governor about his exercise routine.

Second, Brian got my permission to focus on a meatier topic than the features and daily news stories I had assigned. He told me he wanted to focus on legislation cracking down on dog fighting. I told him it would help to talk to someone who supported the activity as well as the many opponents. He spent weeks searching for someone who would go on the record in support of dog fighting, but he finally found someone. Not only that, he got us gruesome photos of the awful instruments used in training the dogs to fight. He turned out a strong story that got the attention of activists on both sides of the debate.

He stumbled across a minor bill that would have fixed an accidental provision that prohibited model rocketry in the state. While it isn’t a big hobby, the story showed how important it is to the few people involved. He was contacted by people all over the country as a result of his reporting.

I have worked with a lot of interns over the years. Brian is one of the few to stand out because of his maturity, perseverance and intelligent writing style.

The Danger Zone

Source | The Red & Black
University student Cole Sidney Gray had to register in May - not for classes, but as a Georgia sex offender.

Not like the others

Source | The Red & Black
Meredith Baker is 22 going on 40. She walks into a coffee shop Tuesday evening, sporting a pink T-shirt and plaid pants, a casual combo she immediately apologizes for.

Facebook for the great beyond

Source | The Red & Black
Martin Holubar is attending his own memorial service. In 2005, the upcoming sophomore died in his sleep from epilepsy. Yet, if you look at his Facebook page, he will be at a tree planting on Nov. 20 honoring his memory.

Doing nothing worth $94,000

Source | The Red & Black
Who's interested in a nearly six-figure salary to do nothing? Sounds too good to be true, huh?