DAVID LYNCH REGIONAL REPORTING AWARD,
For Excellence in Congressional Reporting
"David Lynch made a substantial contribution to holding government accountable. He was a savvy journalist who viewed Washington through the eyes of local readers, a reporter who never forgot his humanity, and a man who never forgot his humility. "The David Lynch Regional Reporting Award is given annually to a Washington-based daily print reporter. It recognizes excellence in coverage of Congress from a regional perspective and work that best exemplifies David Lynch's thorough and incisive regional news coverage of Congress, and the insight his writing provided into how actions on Capitol Hill have a direct impact on local communities and their citizens.
Information on submitting entries for the 2008 award will be posted here by October 15, 2008.
Any daily newspaper or news service reporter who qualifies for membership in the House and Senate Press Galleries is eligible to submit entries. Both the congressional link and the regional element are required for consideration.
David Lynch died of cancer in 1999. He worked in Washington for the Griffin Larrabee Bureau and the Buffalo Courier-Express before starting his own one-person news service. At various times, he reported from Washington for newspapers in Alaska, New England, New York, South Carolina, Iowa and Nebraska.
Former winners of the David Lynch Regional Reporting Award
2000 Kevin Freking, Arkansas Democrat
2001 Bill Walsh, New Orleans Times-Picayune
2002 Maureen Groppe, Gannett News Service
2003 Sean Reilly, The Mobile Register
2004 Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers
2005 Deirdre Shesgreen, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2006 David Lightman, The Hartford Courant and John E. Mulligan, The Providence Journal
THE MARY LOU BEATTY PRIZE FOR EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
Mary Lou Beatty set the highest standard in journalism as the editor who grasped the big story before it would break, who inspired several generations of writers and reporters, and who enlivened the pages for readers across the country. She was one of the first female assistant managing editors at The Washington Post, a founder of Washington Woman magazine, and editor of Humanities magazine, published by the National Endowment for Humanities.
The Washington Press Club Foundation is creating the new award to honor Mary Lou Beatty, who died on February 7, 2007. The Mary Lou Betty Prize will be awarded annually to a woman editor who best exemplifies her qualities and accomplishments. It recognizes management talent that is needed to mentor a staff and the creative skills to produce ga must read.h
The first award will be given in 2009 at the annual Congressional Dinner of the Washington Press Club Foundation. Information on submitting entrees for the award will be posted by October 15, 2008. Any editor of a magazine, newspaper, newspaper or magazine section is eligible for the award.
At the Washington Post, Mary Lou Beatty edited the Pentagon Papers story, ran Outlook, the opinion and commentary section, and created the trend-setting Washington Weekend section. As director of publications at the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), she revamped Humanities into a national, award-winning, glossy magazine. She attracted such writers as David McCullough, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Gwendolyn Brooks and Czeslaw Milosz. gShe will also be remembered for her wry wit, her sharp mind and her keen powers of observation,h observed NEH Chairman Bruce Cole.
To contribute to the fund that will endow the Mary Lou Beatty Prize, please mail your check to the Beatty Fund, c/o The Washington Press Club Foundation, 529 14th Street NW, Suite 1115, National Press Building, Washington, D.C., 20045. All contributions are fully tax deductible.
Advisory board members of the Mary Lou Beatty Prize include David Broder, Meredith Hindley, Judith Martin, Susan Morrison, Beth Newburger, Suzanne Pierron, Peggy Simpson, Ann Stock, Marguerite Sullivan, Abigail Trafford, Nicholas von Hoffman, Eric Wentworth