Clytie Bunyan editorial on Ryan Walters wins national prize for commentary
The Oklahoman's Clytie Bunyan has won the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize for courageous and constructive editorial writing.
Bunyan, managing editor for diversity, community engagement and opinion with The Oklahoman, placed first among newspapers with circulations over 35,000 circulation for her May 30 editorial calling on legislators to remove state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters for his toxic rhetoric and failure to take on Oklahoma's extensive education challenges.
The opening paragraph of the editorial reads: "Oklahoma, we elected a superintendent of public instruction who willfully neglects his duty to foster conditions for the academic growth of our children. Instead, he cares more about pushing harmful propaganda and demoralizing our teachers, already exhausted by his toxic rhetoric."
Judges said this entry represented "unapologetic opinion writing." It called out a powerful figure and took a stand that was likely to be unpopular with many of the paper's conservative readers, the judges said. The editorial was "timely, urgent and brave — all of the elements we were looking for."
The prize was presented Monday by America's Newspapers at an awards luncheon in Chicago.
Read the award-winning editorial: Legislators, remove Ryan Walters. End his toxic crusade against Oklahoma teachers
"We in the media, and all Oklahomans, must demand that officials stop politicizing their office and instead do work that benefits all of us," Bunyan said of receiving the award. "In this case, the superintendent should be focusing on meeting the needs of teachers and students, to lift Oklahoma from the bottom of national education rankings and stop looking for phantom threats.
"Oklahomans are beyond sick and tired of Ryan Walters and politicians like him whose words divide instead of inspire greatness."
The prize is named for the late Benjamin Carmage Walls, whose newspaper career spanned seven decades. Walls primarily owned community newspapers and advocated strong, courageous and positive editorial page leadership.
Awards for editorial writing and column writing were presented in two circulation categories: under 35,000 circulation and over 35,000.
Dave Coffey, editorial page editor of The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, placed first among newspapers under 35,000. First place carries a cash prize of $2,250.
Second-place honors in the over 35,000 circulation bracket were awarded to David Barham, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The prize in the under 35,000 circulation bracket was shared by John Nagy, editor, and David Woronoff, publisher, of The Pilot, Southern Pines, North Carolina. Second place includes a cash prize of $1,000.
More by Clytie Bunyan: Editorial: It's a new school year. Teachers want politics out of education
Third-place honors were awarded to Douglas Lyons, editorial writer, and Tony Doris, editorial page editor of The Palm Beach Post (over 35,000 circulation). In the under 35,000 bracket, third-place honors went to Dave Stafford, assistant managing editor of The Republic in Columbus, Indiana. Third-place honors include a cash prize of $500.
In column writing, Bridget Grumet, metro columnist with the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman, placed first among newspapers with circulations over 35,000 circulation, and Dion Lefler, opinion editor of The Wichita Eagle in Kansas, placed first among newspapers under 35,000.
Second-place honors in the over 35,000 circulation bracket were awarded to Brier Dudley, Free Press editor of The Seattle Times. The second-place prize in the under 35,000 circulation bracket was presented to Lizi Arbogast Gwin, managing editor of The Alexander City (Alabama) Outlook.
Third-place honors were awarded to John Brummett, a writer with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock (over 35,000 circulation). In the under 35,000 bracket, third-place honors went to Jess Huff, of The Lufkin (Texas) Daily News. Third-place honors include a cash prize of $500.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Clytie Bunyan wins national prize for for Ryan Walters editorial
