ISWNE cites Uvalde Leader-News with Cervi award

Craig Garnett (left), joined by wife Melissa Garnett, accepted the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors’ Eugene Cervi award at the organization’s annual conference in Cardiff, Wales, held July 15-19. At right is Chad Stebbins, executive director of the Missouri Press Association and ISWNE.

The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors chose Uvalde Leader-News publisher and owner Craig Garnett as the recipient of the prestigious Eugene Cervi award this year, which honors community journalists with a commitment to public affairs and watchdog reporting.

From the Uvalde Leader News

Garnett has served as the Leader-News’ owner and publisher since 1989, and has written its weekly editorial for 44 years.

Prior to that, he worked at various local newspapers in Fort Worth, Henderson, La Porte and Kansas City, Missouri.

Peers nominated Garnett for the award, praising the veteran journalist’s longstanding dedication to keeping Uvalde informed. Recommenders included Benjy Hamm and Al Cross of the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism, and Micheal Hodges, executive director of the Texas Press Association. Past ISWNE presidents voted on the award.

“He does not seek attention, nor does he seek recognition. Instead, his focus has always been to simply provide his community with the best newspaper possible,” Hodges wrote.

Garnett traveled to Cardiff, Wales, to accept the award at the society’s annual conference July 15-19.

He spoke at the event, referencing the paper’s painful coverage of the Robb Elementary School shooting, and the difficulties of providing quality reporting in today’s information economy.

“I can say in hindsight that had we not previously embraced a Cervi-like watchdog mentality, the men and institutions that failed our community that day would not have been exposed to scrutiny,” Garnett said. “We have no intention of surrendering our vital role in the community.”

The Eugene Cervi award was created in 1976 to recognize “consistently aggressive reporting of government at the grassroots level and interpretation of local affairs.” In ISWNE’s words, it celebrates editors who act in the conviction that “good journalism begets good government.”

The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors was founded in 1955 to promote independent community journalism across the world and advocate for ethical reporting. The organization offers opportunities for editors and publishers to connect, publishes 12 newsletters and journals each year, and operates a hotline on newspaper policy and journalism ethics.