Hawpe Receives James Madison Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2009) - David Hawpe, who retired from the Louisville Courier-Journal in August to conclude a 40-year journalism career, will receive the fourth annual James Madison Award for Service to the First Amendment from the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center at the University of Kentucky.

Hawpe has a long record of fighting to open government records and meetings so the public can monitor the activities of public officials.

“The selection of David Hawpe continues the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center’s practice of selecting a Madison Award winner who has spent a journalism career advocating openness and challenging those who want to keep government secrets from the public,” said Beth Barnes, director of the UK School of Journalism and Telecommunications.

Hawpe was nominated for the Madison Award by Keith Runyon, editor of the Courier-Journal’s forum. Runyon said Hawpe deserved the award because he left a distinct mark on journalism in Kentucky:

--He led the Courier-Journal’s effort to force the University of Louisville to open records, including the list of donors, related to the university’s foundation and the McConnell Center.

--He consistently advocated on the editorial page for opening more records to the public and admitting the public to hearings in juvenile court and in family court.

--He advocated in several national professional journalism organizations for more vigilance in ensuring governments observe their sunshine laws.

--As a reporter, he challenged closed meetings and unavailable public records, and as an editor he taught his reporting staff to aggressively report using Kentucky’s sunshine laws.

“We had a terrific pool of worthy candidates this year,” said Mike Farrell, director of the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center and an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications. “But David Hawpe’s long record of unrelenting efforts to open government to public inspection and his service as a watchdog on government as a reporter, editor and editorial writer made him an obvious selection.”

The Madison Award will be presented to Hawpe Sept. 15 during the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center’s annual First Amendment Celebration. The program begins at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the William T. Young Library on the university campus. The presentation will be followed by the State of the First Amendment Address, given by Mark Goodman of Kent State University. The events are free and open to the public.

The Madison Award for Service to the First Amendment was created by the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center advisory committee in 2006. The first recipient was Judith G. Clabes, who as editor of The Kentucky Post was a tireless advocate for freedom of the press and led the effort to found the center and worked to fund it. Jon Fleischaker, a Louisville attorney who has worked for a free press in Kentucky throughout his career, was the 2007 recipient. Tom Loftus, veteran Frankfort reporter for the Courier-Journal, was recognized in 2008 for his 30-year record of using public records to expose government waste, track campaign contributions and expose insider deals.

The Scripps Howard First Amendment Center promotes understanding of the First Amendment among citizens of Kentucky, advocates for First Amendment rights in the Commonwealth and nationally, and seeks to produce scholarship concerning the First Amendment and its related freedoms.