Last Updated: March 23, 1997
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In his remarks to the ASNE Convention in 1978, Gene Patterson, editor of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, announced a new initiative "to improve the handling of our basic creative tools ... a prestigious set of ASNE prizes designed specifically to honor good writing in American newspapers."
That set in motion ASNE's annual competition to select the best newspaper writing. Over 18 years, the company of winners has more than fulfilled Patterson's vision.
Two years ago, David Laventhol, editor-at-large of the Times-Mirror Co., added luster to the ASNE distinguished writing awards by endowing two prizes, each for $10,000. They honor the day-to-day work done under deadline pressure, both by an individual and as a team effort. Dave named the awards for his father, Jesse Laventhol, a reporter in Philadelphia during the 1920s and 1930s who made his mark writing stories about crime, government and politics on deadline.
Laventhol said he wanted to encourage and recognize high quality in this key component of newspaper reporting: "While much of the journalistic world's prizes tend to focus on investigative reporting, special projects, and analysis and explanation, the fact is that more than half of what appears in most newspapers each day is based on events that occurred in the last news cycle before publication."
Patterson enabled the Poynter Institute to become a partner with ASNE in the Distinguished Writing Awards competition, serving both as host for the judges each February in St. Petersburg and as publisher of a volume containing the writing of the winners.
The 18th edition of Best Newspaper Writing arrived in the mail the other day, along with entry forms for the 1997 competition. It is dedicated to Bob Haiman, the president and guiding light and inspiration for Poynter from 1983 until his recent retirement. In the introduction, Haiman notes that the book has been valued since 1979 by "students, teachers and professionals as an indispensable text on clear, effective and graceful newswriting."
In addition to publishing the work of the six winners and the runners-up, Best Writings' great contribution to our craft is the series of conversations with the writers and some tips for the writing discussions that take place over sandwiches and Cokes in our newsrooms.
The conversations were conducted by Christopher Scanlan, director of Poynter's writing programs. Here, he asks Barton Gellman, Jerusalem bureau chief of the Washington Post and winner of the Laventhol prize, "Are there specific things you have found most helpful in terms of getting people to talk to you?"
Gellman responds, "I'm a little bit shy, so I have to work at this. But what I think about a lot is human behavior and human motivation. I try to emphasize ... what is going on for this person right now, what is this person's relationship to the story, how is he or she experiencing what's happening, and what does he or she really want?"
The conversation ranges over lessons from the stories and the influences of others in developing an approach to writing. Scanlan inquires whether Gellman writes with his eye on the clock (yes), how he feels when the stories were finished (wiped out), his sleeping habits (three hours a night), approaches to storytelling (the chronological account), writers who influenced him (John McPhee), advice for a friend writing under deadline pressure (take a deep breath and imagine writing a letter to a friend).
At the conclusion of each piece, Scanlan offers material for a "writers' workshop," including "talking points" and assignments designed to help a discussion leader work with a group of writers.
In Gellman's account of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, he describes his job as forging "a coherent narrative" from the stream of information that emerges from a breaking news story. As a talking point, Scanlan suggests a writers' workshop discussion might evaluate how well Gellman achieved that goal.
From all of the writers, there is a deep respect for the writing process and
a clear interest in sharing their experiences with others in an instructive
way. As Los Angeles Times columnist Peter King says, "We like to pretend
that its easy, that stories write themselves, that you just knock them out ...
It's a terrifying process and it's hard work." 
ASNE President Giles is editor and publisher of The Detroit News.
E-mail him at rgiles@detnews.com.
