Scandal Brewing With Katie Awards ?

For the last 48 years, the Dallas Press Club has been honoring the best journalists in a six-state area (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana) with an award called the Katie. It's kind of like a regional version of a Pulitzer.

In the past, this has been considered a very prestigious award and can result in a career boost for those receiving the award. Now it looks like there may be a scandal brewing over last years awards.

Tom Stewart, current president of the Dallas Press Club, says, "I am now of the opinion that the 2006 judging was bogus." Stewart believes that past president, Elizabeth Albanese, didn't bother to appoint impartial judges, but just gave the 2006 awards to whoever she wanted (including 4 awards to herself).

Albanese wound up with Katies for:

Best Speciality News Reporting

Best Investigative Reporting

Best Business News Story

Best Business Feature Story

It does look kind of strange that the person who organized last year's banquet and awards, and was responsible for picking the judges, wins more awards than anyone. But it doesn't stop there.

The Dallas Press Club has commissioned a group of former reporters, headed by Hugh Aynesworth (former bureau chief of the Washington Times). They asked Albanese for a list of all the judges, but only received seven names and e-mails. No one recognizes any of the names, and e-mails to them have not been answered. Aynesworth said, "We've never heard of them. We've e-mailed them. We've tried to call them. We've Googled them. They are suspect, let's put it that way."

Albanese has been unable to come up with the names of any judges that can be contacted. She said she sent entries to the New York City and Washington, D.C. press clubs, but both say they never received any entries to judge. She was also unable to come up with any UPS receipts showing she sent the entries anywhere. What was her excuse? "I guess I was sloppy."

But it's now looking like it goes much farther than sloppiness. Many members now believe she didn't send the entries to any judges, but just chose the winners herself (including her own four Katies). She has put a black mark on the organization and their awards.

This is a real shame. Most journalists don't get paid all that much, and a Katie means an awful lot to the recipients. I feel sorry for the rest of 2006's winners. Their award will be suspect now, whether they deserved it or not.