DALLAS-
The possibility that one of the Southwest’s most prestigious journalism competitions was rigged in recent years had Katie Award winners debating Tuesday whether to return their prizes.
One newspaper editor said his staffers are returning their “expensive doorstops,” while another said the decision would be left to the individual winners.
Top editors at several of the region’s largest newspapers said they are unsure whether to continue participating in the Katie Awards, which have been distributed for 48 years by The Press Club of Dallas to reward work in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The competition’s integrity has been in doubt in recent weeks as press club members learned that their former president can’t name any of the judges involved in the 2006 or 2005 competitions. The 2004 Katies are also under investigation, said Tom Stewart, the new president.
Board members also allege financial mismanagement by former president Elizabeth Albanese, who has won 10 awards in the past four years. Albanese also charged—and has since repaid—more than $10,000 in personal expenses to a press club credit card, Stewart said.
Albanese was fired from her media relations job Saturday. In recent days, reporters have confirmed she has a criminal history of fraud and theft. Albanese did not return a phone message Tuesday.
Board members are considering whether to cancel the 2007 awards and refund fees paid by organizations that entered recent contests, Stewart said.
“We would have to see something pretty dramatic to participate this year,” said David Bailey, the managing editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Most large newspapers in the region—including The Oklahoman and the Austin American-Statesman—are taking a similar approach.
“It depends completely on the integrity of the contest, whether the judges are identified and credible,” said Rex Seline, the managing editor for news at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Once you remove the credibility, it taints everything about the contest.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram winners have put all their 2006 Katies into an office and plan to mail them back to the press club, Seline said.
The Associated Press will also return its Katie Awards if the awards prove to be rigged, said Dale Leach, the Texas bureau chief.
