Media and the Law Awards Presented
Article Date: Friday, July 14, 2006
Written By: Russell Rawlings
The 2006 North Carolina Bar Association Media and the Law Awards were presented Friday night in conjunction with the 133rd annual meeting of the N.C. Press Association, held at the Holiday Inn SunSpree in Wrightsville Beach.
President Clark Smith, right, congratulates former Gov. Jim Hunt. |
NCBA President Clark Smith of Lexington presented the awards.
The Media and the Law awards program was established in 1989 and is conducted annually by the NCBA Communications Committee. Judging is based on accurate, informative coverage of law-related issues Awhich fosters greater public understanding of the legal system and the role of lawyers in society.
Nominations are submitted by member newspapers to the N.C. Press Association and forwarded to the Communications Committee for review. Law-related reporting is judged separately in the divisions of daily and nondaily newspapers, while the competition for best series is open.
This year’s recipient in the Nondaily Division is Becky Johnson of the Smoky Mountain News in Waynesville. Her winning entry, “Sifting Through the Rubble,” provided excellent insight into ongoing legal developments surrounding the deadly December 2003 landslide in Maggie Valley. The Communications Committee was impressed with the clarity and detail with which the writer presented the facts of the matter and her citation of relative cases.
Matthew Eisley of The News & Observer is the recipient in the Daily Division for the third consecutive year.
Honored this year for his coverage of the recent judicial campaign, Eisley examined the partisan nature of nonpartisan elections in North Carolina, leading off with “Not Really Nonpartisan” and following up with “Bench Hopefuls Bank on Beliefs.” The Communications Committee considered both articles as strong contenders on their individual merits and recognized them equally in presenting this year’s award to Eisley.
Ames Alexander of the Charlotte Observer is this year’s winner in the category of Best Series for “Judges Under the Influence.” As noted last year when the Charlotte Observer won this award for a series in which Alexander was a major contributor, the Communications Committee remains impressed with the manner in which the reporter addressed a disturbing matter, that being the potential link between campaign contributions and DWI acquittal rates in three coastal counties.
Subsequent analysis of impact contributions may have on the perception of judicial influence and support among judges and citizens alike for judicial reform were especially effective. The North Carolina Bar Association has long been on record in support of such reform and applauds the efforts of the Charlotte Observer and many more North Carolina newspapers to advocate on behalf of these changes.
In addition to the Media and the Law awards, former Gov. Jim Hunt was recognized by the NCPA as North Carolinian of the Year. An NCBA member who served an unprecedented four terms as North Carolina's governor, Hunt was his splendid self in seizing the moment to provide a thoughtful and thought-provoking acceptance speech.