The Seattle Medium Newspaper was recently honored by the Municipal League of King County with their 2015 Community News Reporting Award at their 56th Annual Civic Awards held last week in downtown Seattle.
Each year, The Municipal League – a volunteer-driven, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works toward better government in King County, Washington — recognizes the accomplishments of elected officials, public employees, other citizen groups, the news media, and individual citizens who make outstanding contributions to the community and to better government.
In their selection of The Seattle Medium, the Municipal League said the following:
“The Seattle Medium is a weekly African American newspaper that focuses on news, issues and information that helps improve the quality of life in the Greater Seattle area. Now in its 45th year, their printed publication and website report on Civil Rights issues, the accomplishments of African Americans in the community, the impact of anti-drug groups, health and education programs, among other topics. During recent years, the paper has highlighted the impact of the sub-prime mortgage crisis on local African American homeowners. Most recently the paper offered extensive coverage of the Ferguson story and its local and national implications. The Medium’s voice is widely respected and it is a major force in community service, news and editorial commentary.”
The award was presented to Chris B. Bennett, co-publisher of The Seattle Medium, by Lacy Steele, president emeritus of the Seattle/King County NAACP.
“Mr. Steele has been a friend, mentor, supporter and community war general since the founding of The Seattle Medium,” said Bennett. “It’s very fitting that he be the person to present us with this award.”
According to Alejandra Tres, executive director of The Municipal League of King County, prior to this year’s award the Municipal League recognized journalist and news media for “government news reporting”, but this year the category was expanded to “community news reporting” in order to recognize the value that organizations like The Seattle Medium bring to the community.
“The nominations committee expanded the category from government news reporting to community news reporting because The Medium does much more than report on government news,” said Tres.
Bennett believes that this award is as much about the legacy of the newspaper, as it is about their current body of work.
“Awards like these are not given out overnight,” says Bennett. “Organizations like the Muni League look at your entire body of work. This award is a testament to those who laid the foundation that we build upon today, and the hard work, dedication and belief by our staff that they can and will make a difference in our community each and every day.”
“Over the years, the Medium has won many awards, but the most significant awards are the one that come from your very own yard,” Bennett continued. “To receive an award from the Municipal League is truly an honor that can be cherished by our staff, the community and everyone who has ever worked for the Seattle Medium.”
This year, The Municipal League also presented awards to Bill Hobson, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Services Center, as Citizen of the Year; Valerie Segrest, who heads the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project in King County, as Employee of the Year; Visit Seattle, a private, nonprofit organization that has served as Seattle/King County’s official convention and visitor marketing organization for more than 50 years, as Organization of the Year; David Brewster, founder of The Seattle Weekly and founder, creator and former executive director of the nonprofit cultural center Town Hall Seattle, as the James Ellis Regional Leadership Award; and King County Councilmember Peter Von Reichbauer as the Public Official of the Year.
