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Chicago Tribune to sponsor ASNE writing award named for Mike Royko


The American Society of News Editors announced 
Friday that the Chicago Tribune will sponsor an ASNE writing award for commentary/column writing in memory of legendary Chicago columnist Mike Royko. 

 

The Mike Royko ASNE Award for Commentary/Column Writing will recognize excellence in writing by an individual that expresses a personal point of view. Entries may include columns, blogs and other journalistic forms of opinion but not editorials. The winner will receive $2,500.


The American Society of News Editors announced 
Friday that the Chicago Tribune will sponsor an ASNE writing award for commentary/column writing in memory of legendary Chicago columnist Mike Royko. 

 

The Mike Royko ASNE Award for Commentary/Column Writing will recognize excellence in writing by an individual that expresses a personal point of view. Entries may include columns, blogs and other journalistic forms of opinion but not editorials. The winner will receive $2,500.

 

Mr. Royko wrote columns for nearly 34 years at the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. His Tribune column was syndicated to more than 600 newspapers.   

 

"Mike Royko is an iconic figure in Chicago journalism, a writer who captured the essence of Chicago in his columns,'' said Chicago Tribune Editor and Senior Vice President Gerould Kern. "An irreverent and masterful storyteller, Mike spun the fables and exposed the foibles of a city on the make. We're proud to sponsor an award in his name."

 

Mr. Royko, who died in April 1997 at age 64, wrote five columns a week for much of his career, often targeting powerful politicians with piercing wit and rugged honesty.  

 

In 1971, he earned national acclaim for "Boss," a non-fiction book about machine politics as practiced by then Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. In 1972, he won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary.  

 

Former ASNE president and current member Gregory Favre, who worked with Royko as managing editor at the Chicago Daily News and the Chicago Sun-Times, described Royko as "the best.''

 

"If you mixed the ingredients that would create the best city columnist ever -- passion, love for the city, anger, humor, insight, perfection-driven, pitch-perfect prose, never-ending curiosity, courage, dedication, mercurial personality, life-learned smarts, the drive to do it five times a week for years, a cup of insecurity and overflowing bowls of talent -- you would have Mike Royko. He was the best. Those of us who worked with him were indeed blessed," Favre said.

 

Mr. Royko was born in 1932 in Chicago. His father was a Ukrainian immigrant who ran a tavern. Royko didn't graduate from college, though he attended Wright Junior College, the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. He began his journalism career editing the base newspaper in the Air Force during the Korean War. In 1959, he worked as a reporter at the Daily News and became a full-time columnist in 1964. He continued to work there until 1978 when the newspaper folded and he and his column moved to the Sun-Times. Royko joined the Tribune in 1984.

 

Among the most prestigious journalism contests, the ASNE Awards cover nine categories recognizing the best in print, online and mobile content. Inspired by former ASNE President Eugene Patterson and started in 1979, the contest is open to all newspapers, news services and online publications in the United States.  

 

Other ASNE writing awards include:

  • The Burl Osborne ASNE Award for Editorial Leadership, sponsored by The Dallas Morning News, recognizes editorial writing that makes a difference in the community. The winner receives $2,500.
  • The Batten Medal, sponsored by a group of editors from the former Knight Ridder company, honors the memory of revered reporter, editor and newspaper executive James K. Batten. The winner receives $2,500.
  • The Freedom Forum/ASNE Award, sponsored by The Freedom Forum, honors distinguished writing on topics that deal with diversity. The winner receives $2,500.
  • The Punch Sulzberger Award for Online Storytelling, sponsored by The New York Times, recognizes excellence in the use of digital tools to tell news stories. The winner receives $2,500.
  • The Deborah Howell Award for Nondeadline Writing, sponsored by Advance Inc., recognizes excellence in writing that's not accomplished on deadline. The winner receives $2,500.
  • Distinguished writing award for deadline news reporting
  • Community service photojournalism award
  • Distinguished writing award for local accountability reporting

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