Two University of Iowa journalists were honored with Mark of Excellence awards at a Society of Professional Journalists luncheon in Omaha over the weekend.

Daily Iowan reporter Danny Valentine received first place in newspaper in-depth reporting for his article “The siren song of alcohol,” which investigated the effects of Iowa City’s drinking culture on the Johnson County Ambulance Service.

Daily Iowan TV producer Xin Feng was recognized with a first-place award for online in-depth reporting with her “Readying for War” piece, an exploration into an e-mail scam that targeted some UI students. Feng also received second-place honors for in-depth television reporting for UITV.

— by Joseph Belk