Winter Convention Draws Crowd

2001 MDDC Winter Convention Draws Crowd to Frederick with Awards and Top Speakers

Despite a severe snowstorm and tangled traffic, newspaper executives, featured guests and 250 prize-winning journalists made it to Frederick Feb. 22-23 for a successful MDDC Press Association Winter Convention.

The event featured a convention dinner speech by USA Today President Tom Curley on the topic of "the future of the newspaper business," an editorial seminar by Baltimore Sun Publisher Mike Waller, and a tutorial on handling new census data by Farnk Bass, Associate Press director of computer-assisted reporting.

And there were awards, many of them.

Journalists were recognized for their winning entries in the MDDC Editorial Contest, which included the top work from 2000. More than 480 certificates and plaques were presented, including 32 Best of Show awards.

Katharine Graham became the 34th member of the MDDC Newspaper Hall of Fame. Washington Post Publisher Boisfeuillet Jones was present to accept the honor on Graham’s behalf.

"It is not overblown to use the word ‘legendary’ when describing the former publisher of The Washington Post and chairman and CEO of The Washingotn Post Company," said MDDC President Michael S. Powell during his induction of Graham.

Under Graham’s leadership as publisher from 1969 to 1979, The Post faced some of the great issues in the newspaper business and took courageous stands, including publication of the Pentagon Papers, a secret history of the Vietnam War, and its historic investigation of the Watergate scandal.

The James S. Keat Freedom of Information Award was presented to the Carroll County Times for their work with to gain access to public records during the year through the public records audit held last summer.

The MDDC High School Journalist of the Year Melissa Robbins of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was recognized. She received a $1,500 cash award from the MDDC Press Foundation.

The following six "Newspaper of the Year" winners, selected on the basis of total points accumulated in each circulation division in the editorial contest were also honored:

• The Baltimore Sun (dailies with a circulation of more than 75,000)

• The Capital, Annapolis (dailies between 30,000 and 75,000)

• Carroll County Times, Westminster (dailies under 30,000)

• Howard County Times, Columbia (non-dailies over 20,000)

• Baltimore Jewish Times (non-dailies from 10,001 to 20,000)

• Legal Times, Washington, D.C. (non-dailies 10,000 and under)

At the Association’s annual business meeting Thrusday night, Michael Powell, managing editor of The Frederick News-Post, was elected president of the Association. Other new officers chosen were: Tom Schmidt, Carroll Publishing Co., president-elect; Jeffrey Mezzatesta, The Cecil Whig, vice president; Elaine Brady, Gazette Newspapers, secretary; John League, The Herald-Mail, treasurer.

Two new directors were elected to the 18-member board: Tammy Hawley, executive general manager of The Afro-American Newspapers, and Jim Quimby, president and CEO of The Baltimore Sun Community Newspapers.

Six directors were re-elected to new, three-year terms. They are Brady of Gazette Newspapers, Jim Flood, Sr. of The Dover Post Company, League of The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Tom Linthicum of The Baltimore Sun, Ron Monahan of the Cumberland Times-News, and Powell of The Frederick News-Post.