Simpson Street Free Press honored nationally

Subject:

Comments:
: Simpson Street Free Press honored in Madison for national award : By Samara Kalk Derby — The Capital Times - 1/30/2009 10:38 am : ----------------------------------------------- : : In congratulating the young writers and editors of the Simpson Street Free Press on a major national award, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said that when she's been interviewed by the Free Press' young journalists she sometimes finds that they are more prepared than those who have been in the business a lot longer and receive a salary. : Baldwin was among a crowd of about 80 people who gathered Thursday to honor the Free Press, which recently received the 2008 Coming Up Taller Award, which recognizes "outstanding community-based youth programs that celebrate the creativity of America's young people, and provide them with new learning opportunities and a chance to contribute to their communities." : The Simpson Street Free Press was chosen from more than 350 nominations around the country. : Free Press reporters traveled to Washington, D.C. in November to accept the award in the White House from then first lady Laura Bush and representatives from the National Endowment for the Art and Humanities. : Reporters and editors from the community newspaper circulated at Thursday's event, held in the auditorium at Capital Newspapers, greeting supporters and well-wishers and handing out their business cards. : "It's not often that I go to an event and I have young people, as young as 11-years-old, coming up, introducing themselves, looking me in the eye, giving me their business cards and not being at all shy about making an introduction and starting up a conversation," Baldwin said in her remarks. : Baldwin congratulated the writers and editors at the Free Press and said she remembers fondly the last time she was in the Free Press office. : "You walk in and there is just this palpable energy there and excitement," she said. "It's very impressive." : Baldwin called the role of journalism essential to an effective working democracy. It is critical, she said, to have people who aren't part of an institution looking in, reporting on what's happening and asking tough questions. : "We need accountability, we need transparency, we need sunshine. And a lot of you young journalists are learning about the importance of that," she said. : James Kramer, who founded the program on Simpson Street in 1992 and continues to serve as its executive director, stays in the newsroom until 3 a.m. some days, according to Free Press Editor Andrea Gilmore, a former student writer and teen editor at the Free Press. : Kramer said he is blown away by the recognition. The program is about more than just journalism, it's also about learning to think and write, he said. : "The fact of the matter is as a journalist you have a responsibility to your community," he told the students. "Journalists have a responsibility to check their facts, to be honest and to make a difference." : The paper, now with a circulation of 23,000, was established to help struggling students overcome writing deficiencies and support academic success among youth. Young people ages 11 to 18 write and produce the content, which includes articles on history, geography, science, literary criticism and the arts. : The Free Press is distributed free in schools, neighborhood centers, public libraries and retail outlets throughout the Madison area. : At the event, Free Press reporters presented the paper's annual William T. Evjue Award for Youth Journalism to Tom Still and Phil Haslanger. : The two men were instrumental in creating the Summer Media Institute, a program for local high school students interested in journalism careers. Students enrolled in the institute intern at local media outlets and write for publication. The program is organized each year by the Simpson Street Free Press and sponsored by the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of The Capital Times. : Tom Still, former associate editor at the Wisconsin State Journal, is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council and a member of the Simpson Street Free Press board of directors. : Phil Haslanger, a longtime managing editor of The Capital Times, left the paper in 2007 to pursue a ministry career and currently serves as pastor at Memorial United Church of Christ in Fitchburg. He is a member of the Simpson Street Free Press advisory committee. : "Haslanger and Still were obvious choices because they helped launch SMI," said former Free Press student and current managing editor, Darlinne Kambwa, who is now a journalism major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. : "So many of us have had important opportunities we never would have had without SMI," Kambwa said. "A number of local people have helped us along the way, but these two started it for us. It's part of our job to thank them."

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

Enter verification code: