Cited For Fair, Insightful Coverage Of General Aviation
A newspaper from San Mateo (CA), a
television crew from Seattle (WA), and a radio team from Salt Lake
City (UT) have all been awarded the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association's 2004 Max Karant Journalism Award.
Winners John Bowman and Eric Simons of the San Mateo County
Times, reporter John Miller and photographer Tom Bishop of NBC
Seattle affiliate KING-TV, and reporter Hal Cannon and producer
Taki Telonidis of the Western Folklife Center in Salt Lake City
reporting for National Public Radio, were presented with their
awards during the Opening Luncheon today at AOPA Expo 2004, the
association's annual convention and trade show, which ended in Long
Beach (CA) over the weekend.
"Today we honor those members of the general news media who have
made a real contribution to helping the general public understand
what general aviation is and what it does," said AOPA President
Phil Boyer. "These are reporters and producers who speak to the
non-flying public and show them the allure, the community benefit,
and the excitement of general aviation."
As might be expected, many of the general news media entries for
2003, including some of the winners and honorable mentions, focused
on the centennial of flight.
100 Years of Human Flight
San Mateo County Times Managing
Editor John Bowman and Copy Editor Eric Simons put together a
special pullout session on the Centennial of Aviation that
highlighted general aviation airports and aircraft. Using both
archival and current photographs and a specially prepared timeline,
the pull-out section chronicled local, national and international
milestones in aviation. The special section also included an
article on learning to fly and profiles of renowned aviators and
local airfields.
R.F. Sharp, a freelance writer, received honorable mention for
articles in the Lexington Herald Leader and the Columbia State
newspapers on different approaches to learning to fly.
Restoring Old Planes, Rebuilding Young Lives
In Restoring Planes, Rebuilding
Dreams, Reporter John Miller and videographer Tom Bishop captured
the joy of restoring old aircraft. At a rural airport outside
Seattle a group of young people help rebuild old aircraft in
exchange for the chance to learn to fly. Some are honor students
and Eagle scouts. But for at least one young man, the opportunity
is a way out of trouble and to rekindle lost dreams. Miller and
Bishop showed the care and dedication required to restore old
aircraft, as well as the joy that learning to fly brings.
Jim Walker of Dallas television station KTVT received honorable
mention for his report on suspicious activities at airports because
it incorporated GA's efforts to improve GA airport security,
including video from AOPA's Airport Watch training video.
First Flight, First Hand
First Flight, First Hand captured
the thrill of December 7, 1903, and the exciting years immediately
afterward. Using recordings of the Wright family, friends and
co-workers, reporter Hal Cannon and producer Taki Telonidis gave
listeners an intimate portrayal of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two
bicycle makers from Ohio who conquered the air. Among the
recordings, the recollections of Orville and Wilbur's niece about
her first flight over Huffman Prairie back in Dayton, Ohio, and one
of the only know recordings of the brothers themselves.
Harriett Baskas of Reel Women Productions in Seattle received an
honorable mention for her work on a piece titled, "Katherine
Wright: The Third Wright Brother."
The Karant awards honor the best of "fair, accurate and
insightful" reporting on general aviation in the general
(non-aviation) media. They include categories for print, TV or
video, and radio, and carry an honorarium of $1,000 in each
category. The awards are named for the late Max Karant, founder of
AOPA Pilot magazine and the association's first senior vice
president.