Carol Melamed, a champion of open government and access issues on behalf of newspapers, was honored as the first recipient of the MDDC Distinguished Service Award Sept. 10 at the MDDC Press Association’s Annual Convention held here at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront.

The Distinguished Service Award was established this year by the MDDC Board of Directors to  begin to regularly recognize MDDC volunteers whose extraordinary work serving the organization has made a profound and lasting difference to MDDC and its members.

Melamed, vice president of government affairs at The Washington Post, is a former MDDC Press Association President (1999-2000) and has chaired the Government Affairs Committee for 10 of her 12 years with MDDC.

“Of the many qualities we have come to admire about Carol, it stands out that she is tireless and prepared, dedicated and ready for battle with professional style, intellect and integrity,” said MDDC President Jeff Mezzatesta, publisher of the Cecil Whig. “We’re glad she’s on our side.”

Melamed has taken a leadership role on a number of issues facing Maryland newspapers in recent years, including preserving public access to court records, preserving access to autopsy information, blocking legislation to restrict public information as an anti-terrorism measure, working with local government to enhance response to public document requests and obtaining consensus support of improved language in Maryland’s Public Information Act.

“She has led the way in defending several assaults on Freedom of Information issues and she played a key role in forging court rules that will help newspapers for decades to come,” said Tom Marquardt, executive editor of The (Annapolis) Capital and chairman of the MDDC FOI Subcommittee. “While many of us have the ability to scream about issues, Carol actually resolves them with incredible diplomacy and legal expertise.”

Her efforts on the proposals from the Maryland Court of Appeals for rules governing public access to electronic court records helped create what my be the most open and widely emulated regulations in the nation, according to Government Affairs Committee Member Jim Keat, a retired Baltimore Sun editor.

“By knowing the law better than her adversaries, forcefully and clearly articulating the common sense reasons why public access is vital to our democracy, and combining it all with superb negotiating, Carol blunted some of the worst threats,” said Keat. 

Judge Alan Wilner worked closely with Melamed on the Maryland court access rules and praised her selection as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

“Though a legal advisor rather than a reporter or editor, Carol, to me, well personifies intelligent, effective, and responsible journalism,” the Judge said. “She is deeply committed to open and responsive government…and strives every day to make and keep that a reality.”

In Washington, DC, she has led efforts to increase the free flow of information to its citizens on their local government and worked with the District government to develop an FOI compliance program similar to the one she helped launch in Maryland.

“Carol’s work has had a great, positive impact for newspapers throughout the region,” said MDDC President-elect John League, publisher of The Herald-Mail. “You can’t overstate what she has done.”

League said that Carol has set the example for what volunteerism should be for the rest of the MDDC members. “She is a great first recipient of this award,” he added.

In addition to the award presentation, a $500 contribution will be made to the MDDC Press Foundation in Carol’s name and her photo will become part of a permanent display at the MDDC office to be joined in the future by other Distinguished Service Award winners.

The MDDC Press Association is a nonprofit organization of 165 newspapers whose membership consists of all of the daily newspapers and most of the non-daily newspapers in Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

For a photo, contact Amy Schnappinger at schnappinger@mddcpress.com or (410) 721-4000. A copy of the release is also available at www.mddcpress.com.

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