Shout-Out for AP Gramling Award Winner by 'State Journal-Register'

It's not unusual to see a newspaper editorial recognize an award won by one of its own reporters or editors. But it's not every day that a newspaper devotes an editorial to laud a journalist from another news organization - as the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill., did Friday.

In an editorial headlined, "Congratulations, AP's O'Connor," the S J-R lauded the work of statehouse reporter  John O'Connor, who won The Associated Press's Oliver S. Gramling Journalism Award Thursday.

“Covering the Capitol for The Associated Press, O'Connor's dogged pursuit of stories and meticulous research of state records has resulted in stories of waste and mismanagement in state government that are far too numerous to list here,” the unsigned editorial said. “(For one random example, O'Connor's comparison of travel and campaign records in January 2009 showed that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich had raised $42,000 in campaign funds the previous November during an official visit to southern Illinois, where he had traveled on a state plane.)

“As frequent beneficiaries of O'Connor's work, we second those words of praise. To O'Connor, who began his Springfield career as The State Journal-Register's education reporter, we extend our sincere congratulations.”