By Steve Holt, Opinion Editor

The college newspaper you’re flipping through over lunch or in class is one of the very best in Texas.

In addition to numerous individual honors at last weekend’s annual Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists Region 8 conferences, the Optimist was honored by SPJ as the No. 3 non-daily newspaper in Oklahoma and Texas, and the fourth-best in Texas.

That’s right-when it comes to the quality of campus newspapers, this small west/central Texas university is right up there with the likes of University of Texas, Texas A&M and University of Texas-Arlington.

It’s important you know that because you depend on the Optimist for informative campus news, localized national perspective, up-to-date sports coverage, intelligent commentary, witty cartoons and exhaustive events coverage and previews.

You need to know that you are being told the truth.

This very page won five awards last weekend, our news coverage won eight awards, the sports section raked in five, the features page got four and advertising won one award.

You need to know that whichever page you turn to in the 27-time all-America newspaper, you are getting regionally- and nationally-recognized quality coverage.

Much has been said about bias in the media, and many people claim that they can’t get the real story anywhere.

Optimist readers need to know that our policy has been and always will be to deliver the full story every time, leaving no angle unturned. If a discrepancy occurs, it is quickly made right in the most appropriate way.

State and national press organizations took notice of the Optimist last weekend, and numerous other honors will trickle in before the year is over.

So to those in the ACU community: Be proud of the news and commentary that come to you twice a week. We try our best to be accurate and professional, and the many awards reflect that we are doing our jobs.