Published Friday, April 6, 2001
5 incumbents, 1 newcomer elected to ASNE board
BY JASON BEGAY
ASNE Reporter
Five members of the ASNE board of directors were re-elected to three-year terms, and one new director was elected to a two-year term in voting that ended Thursday.
The incumbents who were re-elected are: Gregory L. Moore, managing editor of The Boston Globe (with 151 votes); Jennie Buckner, editor of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (151); Edward Jones, editor of The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va. (145); Robert G. McGruder, executive editor of the Detroit Free Press (125); and Gilbert Bailon, executive editor of The Dallas Morning News (121).
Charlotte H. Hall, managing editor of Newsday, was the only candidate elected who was not an incumbent. Ms. Hall was elected to serve for two years on the board, filling a seat left vacant by Karla Garrett Harshaw, editor of the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun. The board elected Ms. Harshaw as treasurer during the fall.
With 107 votes, Ms. Hall narrowly beat Susan Bischoff, deputy managing editor of the Houston Chronicle, and Joe Distelheim, editor of The Huntsville (Ala.) Times, each of whom had 104 votes.
A board that consists of almost all returning members creates continuity, said Mr. Moore. “We can stay and organize and continue to move forward on the plans we’ve started on,” he said. “It speaks well of everybody. (ASNE members) recognize the level of involvement and commitment of the board.”
The board has provided “a great service to ASNE,” Ms. Hall said. “People recognize that. The members like their leadership.”
Ms. Hall, Mr. Moore and Ms. Buckner said they intend to focus on retaining minorities and increasing diversity in the country’s newsrooms – especially after the 2001 ASNE Newsroom Employment Survey showed that minority numbers declined last year.
“It shows we have to work three times as hard on this issue,” Ms. Buckner said. “It’s about leadership.”
“I want to continue focusing on diversity issues,” said Ms. Hall. She said she’s also “interested in any project the board takes to improve the quality of journalism.”
In the board election, 12 candidates ran for the six vacancies. The outcome is the result of 227 valid ballots, including 33 absentee ballots. There were eight invalid ballots and 12 write-in votes.
