Four Journos and Founder of Springfield 'Republican' Awarded Yankee Quills

By: Four veteran journalists and the founders of The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Mass., are being honored with the 2009 Yankee Quill Awards, recognizing their contributions to journalism in New England.

The Yankee Quill is presented annually by the Academy of New England Journalists through the auspices of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation. It is considered the highest individual honor awarded by fellow journalists in the region and includes induction into the academy.

This year's honorees include James Campanini, editor of The Sun, Lowell, Mass.; James Foudy, publisher, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, Mass.; Sam Fleming, managing director of news and programming, WBUR radio, Boston, and George Krimsky, longtime AP reporter/editor and co-founder of the Center for Foreign Journalists and now a reporter for the Republican-American newspapers, Waterbury, Conn.

The academy is also presenting the award posthumously to Samuel Bowles I and Samuel Bowles II, founder and publishers of the Springfield, Mass., Republican. The academy recognized the father and son for their admirable and courageous efforts in the 19th century that nurtured The Republican into one of New England's foremost newspapers. The academy cited their commitment to public service journalism and their strong editorial voice at a time when the nation was embroiled in divisive debate over slavery.

Campanini was selected for the Yankee Quill for aggressively advocating public access to documents and meetings, educating the public about the value of a free press to a democratic society, and helping to lead the way during the transformation of newspapers from print to electronic distribution of local news.

Fleming has been in broadcast journalism 30 years in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He was cited for the Yankee Quill for helping develop WBUR into the region's pre-eminent public radio station, mentoring future practitioners in the ideals of ethical journalism through the station's internship program, and contributing to the education of the public about the value of a free press in a democratic society.

Foudy has served as editor of the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass., for the past 23 years. Under his direction, the paper created one of New England's first newspaper Web sites. Foudy was cited for contributions to the betterment of community journalism, tireless efforts to protect the rights of readers to access to public records and meetings, and consistently producing local journalism that has served the public interest.

Krimsky began his career in 1966 at the Waterbury Republican and rejoined the paper after a distinguished career in international journalism. He spent 16 years with The Associated Press, capping his work in the Middle East and Soviet Union by serving as head of AP World Services in New York from 1979 to 1985. He then went on to serve as co-founder and president for 11 years as of the Center for Foreign Journalists, and later helped develop a free press in four former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Krimsky was cited for the Yankee Quill Award as a stellar foreign reporter and bureau chief for Associated Press, advocating for free press principles around the world, and the contributions to local journalism early and then again late in his career.

On. Sept. 8, 1824, Samuel Bowles I published the first edition of the Springfield Republican. He started his career as a printing apprentice in New Haven and then formed a newspaper partnership in 1819 in Hartford. He was invited to establish a Federalist newspaper in Springfield. Borrowing money and leasing a hand-lever press, he poled his family and press up the Connecticut River on a flat-bottomed barge to Springfield.

Upon his death in 1844, his son Samuel inherited the paper and served as editor and publisher until his death in 1878. Under his direction the paper became a daily and supported a Whig and Republican anti-slavery agenda, before becoming independent in politics.

The Yankee Quill awards will be presented as part of the annual conference of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors on Nov. 13 in Lawrence, Mass.