Yankee Quill Award

About the Yankee Quill Award

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For more than 60 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. This award is not designed as a primary writing award, but for the broad, long-term good provided to journalism across New England.

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 News Editors Foundation to select the honorees. Winners are selected from among nominees that represent newspapers, broadcasting, and academia.

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.

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.

For further information contact: George Geers, academy chairman, gnews@empire.net / (603) 785-4811 or Linda Conway, academy clerk, l.conway@nenpa.com / (781) 281-7648

Nominations are now being accepted for the Yankee Quill Award through Friday, November 17, 2023.

Download and use the form below to submit your nomination.

Nomination forms and supporting material may be emailed to: quill@nenpa.com or hard copies may be mailed to:
Yankee Quill
c/o NENPA
PO Box 2505
Woburn MA 01801

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2022 - 2023 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Steve Curwood receives the award for his pioneering work and wide influence in broadening the understanding and importance of environmental journalism. He began his journalism career, after completing his A.B. at Harvard University, as a reporter and then as editor of The Bay State Banner newspaper. His award-winning newspaper career also included stints at the Boston Phoenix and the Boston Globe. He was the founder of the WBUR/NPR program Living On Earth, a board member and treasurer of the Society of Environmental Journalists, and has long been active with the National Association of Black Journalists. He is also a Lecturer in Environmental Science and Public Policy at Harvard University and a professor of practice at UMass, Boston.

Anne Galloway, founder and editor-at-large of VTDigger, is honored for her contributions to Vermont journalism. Galloway founded the news site in 2009 after a long career in newspapers, including as Sunday editor of the Rutland Herald and Times Argus. VTDigger has grown from a $ 16,000-a-year nonprofit website with no employees to a $2.8 million nonprofit online news operation with a staff of 32. Galloway, who started her newspaper career at The Hardwick Gazette, has won numerous awards and changed the journalism landscape in Vermont and beyond.

Mal Leary is being recognized as the connection between Maine residents and their state government for 45 years. He worked as a freelance correspondent for radio stations all across Maine and has also written for its major newspapers. His advocacy is so fierce and his knowledge of state law so deep, he has occasionally convinced state officials to squelch plans to introduce rules that would be antithetical to the public’s right to know. In recent years, Leary has extended his advocacy work to a national scale, serving as a president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Lincoln Millstein earns the Yankee Quill award for the major imprint that he has left on local journalism’s digital presence in New England, and far beyond. After serving as city editor, business editor, and managing editor for features at the Boston Globe, he co-founded Boston.com and shepherded it through its formative years as CEO. He helped build the newspaper industry’s first forays into serious digital news businesses. He went on to run digital for Hearst Newspapers and spearheaded industrywide digital initiatives including the Yahoo! Consortium and the industry’s first private digital advertising exchange. But what stands out the most is his undying excitement about tough journalism and great storytelling.

Robert Bailey Thomas (1766-1846), founder of the Old Farmer’s Almanac, will receive the Yankee Quill award posthumously for his historic contribution to specialty weather and agriculture journalism. Thomas, who also served as editor for 54 years until his death in 1846, created a specialty New England publication that stands today as the oldest continuously published periodical in the United States. Distributed annually, it bloomed from a handful of subscribers in its first year to more than 3 million today.

2020 - 2021 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Download Program Book from 4/29/22 Yankee Quill Award Luncheon

Read follow up story from 4/29/2022 Yankee Quill Luncheon

Paul Bass, founder, publisher, and editor of the New Haven Independent, one of the country’s leading nonprofit digital news organizations. For more than 40 years, Bass has provided the city of New Haven with outstanding news coverage, earning multiple regional and national awards for journalistic excellence – first with the New Haven Advocate, and now with the New Haven. He is described as a “change-maker,” a champion for Black and Brown people, and a promoter of the advancement of women in the news industry.

Tom Condon served the profession for 45+ years as a bureau chief, columnist, editorial writer, and investigative reporter, wit and conscience at the Hartford Courant. His powerfully written columns and editorials have helped free three wrongly accused men, saved historic buildings from demolition, and helped get the state of Connecticut to drastically change its gun laws. He is currently working at CT Mirror.

Melvin B. Miller, founder, publisher, and editor of the Bay State Banner for more than 55 years, a weekly newspaper advocating for the interests of Greater Boston’s African American community. For over five decades, Miller has used his voice to dive deeper into issues ranging from politics, social justice, and economic development that have local and national impact. The Banner has meticulously told the stories of the minority community – stories often overlooked in mainstream media.

Marianne Stanton, who has spent more than 40 years at the weekly Inquirer and Mirror on Nantucket Island, Mass., including as editor and publisher, grew up with the paper which was owned by her parents for many years before being sold to Ottaway Newspapers in 1990. She started as a reporter, became editor, and then publisher. Under her leadership, the paper has won numerous awards and gained a stellar reputation for its integrity and unwavering belief in the right of people to know what their public officials are doing. The paper was sold several more times to other chains but most recently was returned to its original local ownership.

Terrence L. Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Keene Sentinel in New Hampshire is the definition of an accomplished newspaper leader, both as an editor and a publisher. He has been one of New England’s leading publishing executives throughout most of his distinguished 40-year career. His news products have won numerous awards for excellence in journalism and bold revenue solutions. He is an outstanding leader and strong communicator and is regarded as one of the most thoughtful and collaborative publishers in New England media.

William Monroe Trotter (1872-1934) historical figure, was a major early 20th-century civil rights activist who founded the Boston Guardian newspaper. Trotter, the first Black Harvard University graduate who was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, challenged the political dominance of Booker T. Washington and was an inspiration for the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Besides founding the Boston Guardian in 1901, Trotter was a founder of the National Negro Suffrage League, the Niagara Movement, and the Negro American Political League. During his life, Trotter’s outspoken activism included his direct denouncements of President Theodore Roosevelt for discharging three companies of the all-Black 25th U.S. Infantry after the Brownsville Riot in Texas, in 1906, and for confronting President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 after Wilson imposed racial segregation on federal employees for the first time. In 1915, Trotter led the Boston protests against the screening of the racist film The Birth of a Nation.

2019 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

View the 2019 Yankee Quill Winners

View the 2019 Yankee Quill Dinner Photos

Ross Connelly is presented the Quill for his incredibly broad positive influence on journalism in Vermont, throughout New England, and across the nation. During his 36 years in the newspaper industry he served as a journalist, editor, publisher and newspaper owner. He was the founding chair of the Vermont Coalition for Open Government and president of the board of directors for both Vermont Press Association and New England Press Association. He understood early on the importance and true value of diversity in news coverage and pushed hard to make that a priority while serving on those boards.

Angelo Lynn receives the Quill for his dedication to serving his readers and communities, his success with his dynamic newspaper company and his commitment to the betterment of the industry through his involvement with the Vermont Press Association and New England Newspaper and Press Association. He has been recognized with numerous journalism awards, as well as several awards for being a top business locally and statewide. He is recognized as bold, innovative, and adventurous in seeking sustainability while remaining fiercely protective of community journalism.

Callie Crossley has long been a respected journalist and commentator in greater Boston media and is presented the Quill for her multi-faceted skills in print, radio and TV programs. Through her various roles as host, panelist and award-winning commentator she has set a standard for professionalism, accuracy and fairness. She is a compelling interviewer and a role model for women and people of color. Her work is grounded in her devotion to the community and her dedication to making sure that voices normally unheard are heard.

Dan Kennedy is a journalist, media critic, journalism professor, blogger, book author and First Amendment advocate who has devoted the bulk of his career to improving the profession of journalism and to advocating for the First Amendment rights of journalists and the public. He is presented the Quill for his role in ensuring that journalists and publications adhere to the standards of the field; calling out politicians and officials who flaunt free speech and open government; training new generations of journalists and studying alternative models for meeting the challenges of journalism in the digital age.

John Peterson is honored for his 50-year career at New England newspapers and as a New England-based newspaper consultant. He resuscitated moribund papers into aggressive pursuers of both in-depth reporting and community news. He has won countless awards, both individually and for the excellence of the newspapers he led. As a consultant, John lent his vast experience and expertise to improving newspapers throughout the country. He was also very active in the community, serving on a variety of business and charitable boards and has been honored locally for his years of service to the community.

2018 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

David Moats
Former editorial page editor of the Rutland (Vermont) Herald

David Moats receives the Quill for his profound impact on journalism in Vermont and beyond with his thoughtful editorial writing and frequent public appearances on the value of a free press and the First Amendment to American liberty. His compassion as a journalist for the human rights of others earned him a Pulitzer Prize for his thoughtful and influential series of editorials commenting on the divisive issues arising from civil unions for same-sex couples.

Lou Ureneck
Professor of journalism at Boston University and former editor of the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram

Lou Ureneck is honored for his work in journalism as a teacher, mentor, writer and editor whose professional career ranges from cub reporter at the Providence Journal to executive editor at the Portland Press Herald. He is now a professor at Boston University’s College of Communication and author of two memoirs and an acclaimed non-fiction history book about the final violent episode of the 20th century’s first genocide.

Wayne Phaneuf
Executive editor of the Springfield (MA) Republican

Wayne Phaneuf is presented the Quill for his passionate commitment to journalism and community. From reporter to editor, from historian to historical writer, his broad experiences are demonstrative of someone who has taken his personal growth and experiences as a journalist to guide at least two generations of new journalists into careers of serving their readers. As a historian, he works steadfastly to ensure today’s readers are able to put the news events of their lives in perspective of the past.

Ken Squier
Former longtime owner of the Radio Vermont Group

Ken Squier receives the Yankee Quill for his strong commitment to sportscasting and community journalism that has made an impact on the local, regional and national level. He is credited with being the first person in getting flag-to-flag coverage of auto racing on television when CBS aired the Daytona 500 in 1979. Auto racing took off as both a national spectator and active sport following that national telecast, and it created countless jobs within the journalism world.

Henry Martyn Burt
Publisher and Editor (1831-1899)

During his tenure as publisher and editor of the mountain-top newspaper Among the Clouds, Henry Martyn Burt (1831-1899) was struck by lightning, arrested and jailed for libel, developed a way to beat his competitors by “sliding” his newspaper down a mountain railroad track to readers, but most important, Henry Burt’s mission was to share his enthusiasm of, and draw people to, the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
*Elected posthumously

2017 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Robert J. Ambrogi
Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association
Bob spent the majority of his career as a journalist covering law. Not only that, but is also an honorable attorney, media consultant, an author of two books which cover legal sources on the web, and a blogger known for his Internet and legal technology expertise. He was formerly the editor-in-chief of the National Law Journal, and also a founding editor of Lawyers USA. Today, Bob is the executive director of Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, and has been since 2004.

Robin Young
WBUR
A master of the roles of radio journalist, producer, writer and interviewer. She has hosted several local television news programs and radio shows, where she’s made an impact on major networks. Currently, Robin co-hosts “Here and Now”, a two-hour daily news magazine program broadcasted across America by a WBUR and NPR partnership.

James Franklin*
Colonial printer, 1697-1735
Began his career as a printer in Boston, MA. In 1717, he began printing the Boston Gazette in England. At 16, he founded The New England Courant, one of the most brilliant and interesting newspaper of the 18th century. However, The Courant only lasted for five and a half years because it was not published “by authority”, but rather “in spite of it”.
*Elected posthumously

2016 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Edward Achorn
vice president and editorial pages editor of the Providence Journal

Maura Casey
editorial writer at The Hartford Courant and The New York Times

Brian McGrory
editor of the Boston Globe

Lincoln McKie Jr.
journalism teacher at Northeastern University and former executive editor at The Sun of Lowell and managing editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Sarah Josepha Hale*
19th century poet, writer and magazine writer from Newport, NH, honored under the Yankee Quill’s “historic figures” category

2015 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Carolyn Lumsden
Opinion Editor of the Hartford Courant

Tom Farragher
Columnist/Associate Editor of the Boston Globe

Jane Harrigan
Former Managing Editor of the Concord Monitor/Journalism Professor at UNH

Mary Jane Wilkinson
Former President of the New England First Amendment Coalition/
Retired Managing Editor of the Boston Globe

Mary Baker Eddy*
Founder of the Christian Science Monitor

2014 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Joe Bergantino
Director of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting

Karen Bordeleau
Executive Editor of the Providence Journal

John Christie
Editor of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting

Richard Lodge
Editor of The MetroWest Daily News, Framingham MA

Alan White
Editor of The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover MA

2013 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Christine Chinlund
Managing Editor of The Boston Globe

Peter Lord*
Environmental Reporter and Editor of the Providence Journal

James Rousmaniere
Editor and President of the Keene Sentinel

Eliot White
Publisher and Owner of the Record-Journal, Meriden CT

John Greenleaf Whittier*
19th-century poet and writer, newspaper editor

2012 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

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

2011 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

Jack Authelet
Foxboro Reporter in Foxboro, MA

Leah Lamson
Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, MA

Irwin Gratz
NPR “Morning Edition” in Portland, ME

Kendall Wallace
The Sun in Lowell, MA

Gen. Charles H. Taylor*
The Boston Globe in Boston, MA

2001 - 2010 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

2010
Oreste D’Arconte, The Sun Chronicle
Thomas Green,* The Courant
Melissa Ludtke, Nieman Foundation/Nieman Reports
Dan Rea, WBZ
Mary Pat Rowland, Foster’s Daily Democrat
Mark Smith, Caledonian-Record

2009
Samuel Bowles I and II,* The Republican
James Campanini, The Lowell Sun
Samuel W. Fleming IV, WBUR
Jim Foudy, Daily Hampshire Gazette
George Krimsky, Republican-American

2008
Nelson Benton, Salem News
Ann Smith Franklin,* Rhode Island Gazette
John Howe, The Citizen, Laconia, N.H.
Al Larkin, Boston Globe

2007
Michael Donoghue, The Burlington Free Press
Larry McDermott, The Republican, Springfield
Eileen McNamara, Boston Globe
Jim Taricani, WJAR, Providence
Barbara Walsh, Portland Press Herald

2006
William Lloyd Garrison,* The Liberator, Boston
Gary Lapierre, WBZ
David Offer, Kennebec Journal
Chris Powell, Manchester Journal Inquirer
Walter Robinson, Boston Globe

2005
John Burke, Boston Globe
George Geers, New England Newspaper Association
Thomas Heslin, Providence Journal
Emily Rooney, WGBH-TV
Greg Stone, The Day
Isaiah Thomas,* Worcester Gazette

2004
Benjamin Edes,* Boston Gazette
Elaine N. Hooker, Associated Press
Jonathan F. Kellogg, Republican-American
Joel P. Rawson, Providence Journal
R.D. Sahl, New England Cable News

2003
Stephen A. Kurkjian, Boston Globe
Paul LaCamera, WCVB-TV
James H. Smith, Record-Journal
Harry T. Whitin, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

2002
Clark Booth, WCVB-TV
Ken Hartnett, New Bedford Standard-Times
Joseph W. McQuaid, Union Leader and N.H. Sunday News
Patrick J. Purcell, Boston Herald/Community Newspaper Co.

2001
Philip Balboni, New England Cable News
Thomas Kearney, Keene Sentinel
Alan Lupo, Boston Globe
Morgan McGinley, The Day

1991 - 2000 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

2000
Elizabeth S. Ellis, Journal-Inquirer
Robert Foster, Foster’s Daily Democrat
David Nyhan, Boston Globe
Sarah-Ann Shaw, WBZ-TV

1999
John F. Henning, WBZ-TV
Linda Lotridge Levin, University of Rhode Island
William J. Pape II, Waterbury Republican-American
Morley L. Piper, New England Newspaper Association

1998
William Breisky, Cape Cod Times
Rod Doherty, Foster’s Daily Democrat
Irving Rogers Jr.,* Lawrence Eagle Tribune
Michael Short, Associated Press

1997
Natalie Jacobson, WCVB-TV
C. Michael Pride, Concord Monitor
Matthew Storin, Boston Globe

1996
Katherine Fanning, Christian Science Monitor
Stan Grossfield, Boston Globe
Kenneth E. Grube, The Day

1995
Leonard I. Levin, Providence Journal-Bulletin
Reid MacCluggage, The Day
Kathie Neff Ragsdale, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune
Bernard S. Redmont, Boston University

1994
Steve Riley, Guy Gannett Publishing Co.
Norman Runnion, Brattleboro Reformer
David Starr, Springfield Newspapers
William O. Taylor, Boston Globe

1993
Betty J. Brighton, Portsmouth Herald
Bernard Caughey, Quincy Patriot Ledger
Robert W. Mitchell,* Rutland Herald
Hugh Mulligan, Associated Press
John P. Reilly, The Norwalk Hour

1992
Edward S. Bell, Associated Press
Arnold S. Friedman, Springfield Newspapers
Warren F. Gardner, Meriden Record-Journal

1991
No recipients

1981 - 1990 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

1990
Carmen Fields, WGBH-TV
Charles McCorkle Hauser, Providence Journal-Bulletin
Carter H. White, Meriden Record-Journal

1989
Irving Kravsow, Hartford Courant
Caryl Rivers, Boston University
James V. Wyman, Providence Journal-Bulletin

1988
William B. Ketter, Quincy Patriot Ledger
James Ragsdale, New Bedford Standard-Times
Daniel Warner, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune

1987
John S. Driscoll, Boston Globe
James D. Ewing, Keene Sentinel
James Thistle, Boston University

1986
Roger Allen, WRKO
Stanton J. Berens,* United Press International
Raymond A. Brighton, Portsmouth Herald
K. Prescott Low, Quincy Patriot Ledger

1985
Leonard J. Cohen, Providence Journal-Bulletin
George Esper, Associated Press
Sidney B. McKeen, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
George W. Wilson, Concord Monitor

1984
Deane C. Avery, The Day
Kenneth J. Botty, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
John C. Quinn, USA Today

1983
Stephen A. Collins, Danbury News-Times
Robert H. Estabrook, Lakeville Journal
Brooks W. Hamilton, University of Maine

1982
George B. Merry, Christian Science Monitor
Richard C. Steele, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

1981
Alton H. Blackington,* Boston Herald/WBZ
Richard C. Garvey, Springfield Daily News
Donald Murray, University of New Hampshire
W. Davis Taylor, Boston Globe

1971 - 1980 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

1980
John C.A. Watkins, Providence Journal-Bulletin
William J. Clew, Hartford Courant

1979
Everett S. Allen, New Bedford Standard-Times
Judith Brown, New Britain Herald
Ernest W. Chard, Portland Press Herald
Philip Weld, Essex County Newspapers

1978
Dwight E. Sargent, Boston Herald-American
George A. Speers, Northeastern University
Charles L. Whipple, Boston Globe

1977
John Hughes, Christian Science Monitor
Cornelius F. Hurley, Associated Press
John B. Hynes, WCVB-TV
Marjorie Mills, Boston Herald

1976
Joseph L. Doherty, Boston Globe
Loren F. Ghiglione, Southbridge Evening News
Elliot Norton, Boston Herald-American

1975
Robert J. Leeney, New Haven Register and Journal-Courier
G. Prescott Low, Quincy Patriot Ledger
William L. Plante, Essex County Newspapers
J. Russell Wiggins, Ellsworth American

1974
Robert C. Achorn, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Bob Eddy, Hartford Courant
Kingsley R. Fall, Berkshire Eagle

1973
John N. Cole, Maine Times
Thomas W. Gerber, Concord Monitor
Abraham A. Michaelson, Berkshire Eagle

1972
Thomas J. Murphy, Waltham News-Tribune
Thomas Winship, Boston Globe

1971
Barnard L. Colby, The Day
J. Edward DeCourcy, Newport Argus-Champion
Francis E. Whitmarsh, WBZ-TV

1960 - 1970 Yankee Quill Award Recipients

1970
C. Edward Holland, Boston Record-American
Charles J. Lewin,* New Bedford Standard-Times
David M. White, Boston University

1969
Harry Bryant Center, Boston University
Alexander J. Haviland, Boston Globe
Edgar M. Mills, Christian Science Monitor

1968
Arch M. MacDonald, WBZ-TV
Michael J. Ogden, Providence Journal-Bulletin
Forest W. Seymour, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

1967
Charles E. Gallagher, Lynn Item
Lawrence K. Miller, Berkshire Eagle
John R. Reitemeyer, Hartford Courant

1966
Thomas K. Brinkley, Fall River Herald-News
William Dwight, Holyoke Transcript-Telegram
Edward A. Weeks, Atlantic Monthly

1965
Gordon N. Converse, Christian Science Monitor
Rudolph F. Elie, Boston Herald-Traveler
Francis R. Murphy, Associated Press

1964
John R. Herbert, Quincy Patriot Ledger
Leslie Moore, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Laurence L. Winship, Boston Globe

1963
Paul S. Deland, Christian Science Monitor
Louis M. Lyons, Nieman Foundation
Henry W. Minott, United Press International

1962
David Brickman, Medford Mercury/Malden News
Guy P. Gannett,* Guy P. Gannett Newspapers
James M. Langley, Concord Monitor
William J. Pape, Waterbury Republican and American
David Patten, Providence Journal-Bulletin

1961
Herbert Brucker, Hartford Courant
Erwin D. Canham, Christian Science Monitor
Waldo L. Cook,* Springfield Republican
Henry Beetle Hough, Vineyard Gazette
Arthur G. Staples,* Lewiston Journal

1960
George F. Booth,* Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Sevellon Brown,* Providence Journal-Bulletin
Minnie Ryan Dwight,* Holyoke Transcript-Telegram
James B. Morgan,* Boston Globe
Norris G. Osborn,* New Haven Courier-Journal

* Elected posthumously