Finalists announced for Carmage Walls Commentary Award

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In alphabetical order, the finalists in this year's Carmage Walls Commentary Prize competition are:

Under 50,000 circulation:

  • John Hackworth, editor, The Charlotte Sun, Charlotte Harbor, Fla. In 2014, an inmate at Charlotte Correctional Institution was beaten to death.  His face was smashed so badly that one account said it looked like Jell-O.  The Sun newspapers took on the challenge of seeking justice for the dead inmate after the 10 guards who beat him were able to return to work. John Hackworth led the charge, and – as a result of stories, editorial and cartoons – all 10 guards were either let go or resigned and the warden was transferred to another prison. View his entry
  • Dink NeSmith, president, Community Newspapers, Inc., Athens, Ga.  In mid-January, The Press-Sentinel in Jesup, Ga., learned that America's second-largest waste-management company, Republic Services, had filed for a rail-spur permit – through wetlands – to serve its private landfill.  If the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grants the permit, Republic would move forward with its plan to haul and dump 100 railcars (10,000 tons) per day of toxic coal ash.  The Press-Sentinel broke the story and has led the community's fight against the rail spur and coal ash dumping into the county's environmentally-sensitive ecosystem.  Dink NeSmith has been a key leader in the fight.  View his entry 

Over 50,000 circulation:

  • Roger Chesley, columnist, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. Since 2009, Chesley has prodded city officials in Chesapeake, Va., to build at least one public pool.  It's something residents have sought for decades. Council members have repeatedly declined, even though Chesapeake is among the largest cities nationwide.  Chesley argued that this was a matter of amenities and safety: This region of Hampton Roads is surrounded by lots of water, and 10 people die every day from unintentional drowning in the United States.  A few months after a two-part package ran in the paper, the mayor announced that the city would build a public facility with a local nonprofit.  Read his entry
  • Matt Reed, opinions editor/public interest columnist, FLORIDA TODAY, Melbourne. Reed conceived of, campaigned for, and succeeded in winning passage of an anti-corruption bill that will benefit taxpayers throughout Florida for generations to come. With a combination of columns and editorials, Reed revealed the scope of the problem, pointed to a solution, and put out a statewide call for sponsors of a model anti-corruption bill he had drafted with a Melbourne attorney.  His work engaged and empowered audiences from four Gannett news sites, which published Reed's pieces simultaneously, sometimes on their front pages.  A slightly modified version of the bill championed by Reed passed the Florida Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott in March. Read his entry

The awards (first- and second-place honors in each circulation category) will be presented during an awards breakfast on Thursday, Sept. 15, at the News Industry Summit.  The winners also will be posted by mid-morning that day on the SNPA website.

Several additional Honorable Mentions also will be announced Sept. 15.

The prize is named for the late Benjamin Carmage Walls whose newspaper career spanned seven decades.  Walls primarily owned community newspapers and advocated strong, courageous and positive editorial page leadership.

Awards in SNPA's Print Quality Contest and Photo Contest, as well as the Frank W. Mayborn Leadership Award also will be presented at the breakfast.

Read about finalists in the:

Carmage Walls Commentary Prize
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