Yankee Quill
For more than 50 years the New England Academy of Journalists has been honoring our region’s most extraordinary journalists for their contributions to a free press and their efforts to improve the communities they serve. Other journalism associations bestow awards for individual and team accomplishments, but the Yankee Quill recognizes the lifetime achievement of those who have had a broad influence for good, both inside and outside the newsroom. The Academy, which is comprised of all Quill winners and representatives of various New England journalism organizations, gathers annually under the auspices of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation to select the honorees. Winners are selected from among nominees that represent newspapers, broadcasting and academia. Click here to see the full list of Yankee Quill Award winners.
Yankee Quill nominations are due in June. The award ceremony takes place at the Yankee Quill Dinner in November. Download Nomination form
2012 Yankee Quill Winners
Robert Giles
Former curator of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
R. John Mitchell
Publisher and owner of the Rutland Herald and The Barre Montpelier Times-Argus of Vermont
Robert Schrepf
Former longtime editorial page editor of The Hartford Courant
Robert Turner
Former deputy editorial page editor of The Boston Globe
Jack Williams
Veteran television journalist and news anchor at WBZ-TV in Boston
Press Release
Five journalists honored with 2012 Yankee Quill Awards Five New England journalists will receive the Yankee Quill Award this fall for their contributions to the betterment of journalism in the six-state region.
The Yankee Quill Award is presented annually by the Academy of New England Journalists through the auspices of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation. It is considered the highest individual honor awarded by fellow journalists in the region.
The 2012 honorees are Robert Giles, former curator of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University; R. John Mitchell, publisher and owner of the Rutland Herald and The Barre Montpelier Times-Argus of Vermont; Robert Schrepf, former longtime editorial page editor of The Hartford Courant; Robert Turner, former deputy editorial page editor of The Boston Globe, and Jack Williams, veteran television journalist and news anchor at WBZ-TV in Boston.
The Yankee Quill selection committee is made up of previous Yankee Quill winners who are members of the Academy of New England Journalists and representatives of the various New England journalism organizations.
Selection for the award is not based on any single achievement but rather the recipients' broad influence for good on New England journalism.
The committee was impressed with Giles' 11 years at the helm of Harvard University's Nieman Foundation, including its outreach programs such as the digital journalism lab, the watchdog reporting website and encouragement of narrative journalism. Mitchell was noted for his career contributions to Vermont journalism through advocacy for open government and editorial courage that included his Rutland paper winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for a series of editorials on civil unions. The committee was impressed with Turner's rich involvement with the Boston community as well as his journalistic achievements that included years of political reporting and editing. Schrepf was cited for his influential editorial writing career at the Courant and his active involvement with the New England Society of Newspaper Editors and Connecticut Foundation for Open Government. Williams' was honored for his longtime career as a broadcast reporter and anchor and for his commitment to community through the "Wednesday's Child" adoption program and other public service programs.
The Yankee Quill awards will be presented as part of the annual conference of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors in November.
Contact info: Bill Ketter, chairman, Academy of New England Journalists, (978) 946-2233 wketter@cnhi.com and George Geers, clerk, Academy of New England Journalists (603) 785-4811 / gnews@empire.net
For more information, please contact:
Megan Sherman
m.sherman@nenpa.com
781.320.8042
Nomination instructions for Yankee Quill
The New England Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation recognizes the efforts and dedication of those in New England who have had a broad influence for good in the field of journalism with the Yankee Quill award.
Recipients are inducted into the Academy of New England Journalists upon receiving the Yankee Quill award.
Yankee Quill rules state that selection for the award is not based on a single distinguished achievement in news reporting or editorial writing, or on the development of a publication of purely local impact. Rather, election recognizes the effort and dedication of those in New England who have had a broad influence for good in the field of journalism.
In other words, it is not based on a single distinguished achievement in reporting, writing or editing or on the fact that someone runs a good newspaper or broadcast show or station. Instead, it honors a lifetime of contribution to the profession. Nominations may range across the entire field of journalism, including daily and weekly newspapers, radio and television news coverage and other forms of communications that meet the tests of journalism.
The Board of Trustees of the Academy of New England Journalists, along with the presidents of several New England media associations, will make the final selection of the persons to receive the Yankee Quill Award.
Yankee Quill
c/o NENPA
370 Common Street - 3rd Floor, Suite 319
Dedham, MA 02026
For further information contact: Bill Ketter, academy chairman, The Eagle-Tribune, wketter@cnhi.com / (978) 685-1000. George Geers, academy clerk, gnews@empire.net / (603) 785-4811