Benton earns Yankee Quill Award

Dave Olson — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:21:28 +0000

It’s a challenging time to be in the news business, so it’s always nice to see someone get the recognition they deserve. This item will be in tomorrow’s paper:

Salem News Editorial Page Editor Nelson Benton has been honored with a Yankee Quill Award for his contributions to the betterment of journalism in the region.

The award is presented annually by the Academy of New England Journalists through the auspices of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors. It is considered the highest individual honor awarded by fellow journalists in the region.

Benton was hired as a reporter at The Salem News in 1972. He has served as city editor and managing editor and became editorial page editor in 1995.

Benton’s work has been recognized by the New England Press Association, the New England Associated Press News Executives Association and the New England News Association, among others.

For the past quarter-century, he has written a weekly political column that is a must-read among both the elected and the electorate. For the past 20 years, he has overseen the Salem News Student-Athlete Award, a yearly highlight for local high school seniors.

In the past year he has launched an editorial writers’ blog on the paper’s Web site, salemnews.com, and moderated its first online debate.

Other honorees this year include John Howe, editor and general manager of The Citizen in Laconia, N.H., and Al Larkin, recently retired executive vice president of The Boston Globe. A posthumous award will be made to Ann Smith Franklin, one of the nation’s first woman printers and editors.

State representative debate tonight

Dave Olson — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:14:46 +0000

Just a reminder that The Salem News is sponsoring a debate/forum for the race to replace Doug Petersen as the representative of the 8th Essex District, which includes Marblehead and Swampscott.

Here’s the notice from today’s paper:

Tonight at 7:30, The Salem News will sponsor a forum for the candidates in the special election being held for the 8th Essex House seat formerly held by Doug Petersen of Marblehead. The event will take place in the library at Marblehead High School and is open to the public.
Five candidates | two Democrats, two Republicans and an independent | are running. Four plan to attend tonight to answer questions posed by the moderator. Salem News readers can participate by submitting questions in advance on issues of concern to them.
Please send them to Nelson Benton, editorial page editor, via e-mail (nbenton@salemnews.com).

In the News

Benton earns Yankee Quill Award

State representative debate tonight