ASNE Awards 1997

1997 Awards: ASNE writing awards announced
Posted 2/27/1997 3:51:00 PM

RESTON, Va. – The American Society of Newspaper Editors has selected writers at The Boston Globe; Chicago Tribune; The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.; The Oregonian, Portland; and The Washington Post, plus a Newsday news team, to be the recipients of its 1997 Distinguished Writing Awards and Jesse Laventhol Prizes.


The Jesse Laventhol Prize winners are:

  • David Maraniss, The Washington Post, deadline news reporting/individual
  • Newsday, deadline news reporting/team


The ASNE Writing Awards winners are:

  • Tom Hallman Jr., The Oregonian, Portland, non-deadline writing.
  • Eileen McNamara, The Boston Globe, commentary/column writing.
  • David A. Waters, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn., religion and spirituality writing.
  • N. Don Wycliff, Chicago Tribune, editorials.


There were more than 500 entries in this year’s competition. The Jesse Laventhol Prize individual and team winners will each receive $10,000 cash prizes. The ASNE Writing Awards winners will receive $2,500 prizes. The awards will be made on April 11, during the Society's annual convention in Washington. The winning entries will be published in Best Newspaper Writing 1997, produced by The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, St. Petersburg, Fla.


The ASNE judges also recognized the work of other writers as finalists:

  • Editorial writing: Ian Darling, The Record, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario; Mike Foley, The Laurinburg (N.C.) Exchange; Michael G. Gartner, The Daily Tribune, Ames, Iowa;
  • Commentary/column writing: Teddy Allen, The Times, Shreveport, La.; Mike Deupree, The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette; Murray Kempton, Newsday.
  • Nondeadline writing: Henry S. Allen, The Washington Post; Julia Prodis, Associated Press.
  • Religion and spirituality: Laurie Goodstein, The Washington Post; David O’Reilly, The Philadelphia Inquirer; Bill Tammeus, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star.
  • Jesse Laventhol Prize for deadline news reporting/individual: John J. Keller, The Wall Street Journal; Sebastian Rotella, Los Angeles Times; Michael Specter, The New York Times.
  • Jesse Laventhol Prize for deadline news reporting/team: Chicago Tribune and Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.


The Jesse Laventhol Prizes are named in honor of a longtime Philadelphia newspaper man. They are endowed by his son, David A. Laventhol, editor-at-large for the Times-Mirror Company, longtime member of ASNE and member and former chairman of the ASNE Writing Awards Board. Laventhol said he wanted to encourage excellence in a key aspect of newspaper reporting – “to recognize the best deadline work and to encourage more of it.”


The ASNE Foundation – which is supported by gifts from ASNE members, newspaper companies and foundations – funds the Writing Awards prizes. The competition is administered by the Poynter Institute.


Mary Jo Meisner, formerly with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, chaired the 1997 ASNE Writing Awards Board. Other ASNE members who participated in the judging were: Peter K. Bhatia, The Oregonian, Portland; Kenneth F. Brusic, The Orange County Register, Santa Ana, Calif.; John S. Carroll, The Sun, Baltimore; Gregory Favre, The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee; Robert H. Giles, The Detroit News; William Hilliard, Portland, Ore.; William B. Ketter, The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, Mass.; Craig Klugman, The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.; David A. Laventhol, Times Mirror Company, Los Angeles; Ron Martin, The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution; Diane H. McFarlin, Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune; Tim J. McGuire, Star Tribune, Minneapolis; Rena M. Pederson, The Dallas Morning News; Matthew V. Storin, The Boston Globe; Gil Thelen, The State, Columbia, S.C.; and N. Don Wycliff, Chicago Tribune.