Payne Awards Fact Sheet

The Payne Awards are the only university-based awards in the U.S. dedicated specifically to journalism ethics.

The Payne Awards are awarded in three categories:  News Organization, Individual, and Collegiate Media.

The Payne Awards were founded in 1999 at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon by Ancil Payne.  Payne, a legend in Seattle broadcasting, established the awards “to honor the journalist of integrity and character who reports with insight and clarity in the face of political or economic pressures and to reward performance that inspires public trust in the media.”

Ancil Payne, who died in October 2004, was former CEO of KING Broadcasting; under his leadership, the company developed a national reputation for its commitment to ethical journalism.

The current (as of 2007) judging panel for the Payne Awards includes Professor Tom Bivins, John L. Hulteng Chair of Media Ethics, University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication; David Boardman, Executive Editor, The Seattle Times; Aly Colón, Reporting, Writing & Editing Group Leader, The Poynter Institute; Everette Dennis, Professor/Area Chair for Communications and Media Management and  Director for the Center for Communications at Fordham (New York) University’s Graduate School of Business; Tim Gleason, Edwin L. Artzt Dean and Professor, University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication; Mark Trahant, Editorial Page Editor, Seattle Post-Intelligencer; and Mark Zusman, Editor, Willamette Week.

More information, including news releases on past winners, can be found at payneawards.uoregon.edu