Did you write a solid story, shoot a perfect picture, or produce an outstanding multimedia clip about New Jersey in 2011?

Many changes and new awards to reflect the changing media landscape. Entries from individuals or news organizations are welcome. All entries are judged by SPJ chapters from outside New Jersey.

Enter now to win a SPJ award for your work in newspapers,
radio, TV, magazines, online, blogs, newsletters and more!

You don’t need to be an SPJ member to enter and win!

• 2012 Contest Brochure

NEW ORLEANS —The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce John Ensslin as its 2011-12 president. Ensslin will serve the largest and most broad-based journalism association for a one-year term.

Immediate Past President Hagit Limor gave Ensslin the oath of office at the President’s Installation Banquet Tuesday night, Sept. 27, at the Excellence in Journalism conference in New Orleans . He was elected Sunday, Sept. 25, at an SPJ business session at the conference.

Ensslin accepted his new role by first thanking those who have been close to him during his career, including Limor.

“Watching Hagit handle the issues that arose this year was like having my own graduate course on SPJ leadership,” he said.

Ensslin’s presidency will focus on two major issues: membership and chapter health. In his speech he called attention to SPJ’s slight decline in membership in recent years, attributing this trend to the slow economic recovery, although he said confidently: “My hope is that this will be a year that we take SPJ membership to a whole new level.”

To achieve this goal, Ensslin will encourage every chapter to do a membership drive in the month of March. He will ask each chapter – professional and student, large and small – to hold at least one event aimed at retaining current members or recruiting new members. He recognizes that membership is just one of many areas of SPJ’s work that are important to support, but as he explained, many of those activities are already spearheaded by talented, productive committees.

He believes in the importance of SPJ, asserting in his installation speech: “In hard times, you learn who your true friends are, and you learn about your core values. And one thing these last few years have taught me is the true value of our Society of Professional Journalists.”

Ensslin was a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News for 27 years before moving to the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2009 to be the paper’s legal affairs reporter. He recently moved to Bergen County , N.J. , to cover local government for The Record.

Just as important as Ensslin’s professional experience is his experienced leadership in SPJ. He has served as membership chairman for the Colorado Pro chapter, Region 6 Director — including receiving the honor of Regional Director of the Year in 2010 — and 2010-11 national secretary-treasurer. He said he began thinking of running for president in 2004 when a colleague sitting by him at that year’s President’s Installation Banquet said, “You know, I can see you up there.”

Since then, Ensslin brainstormed all that he would aim to accomplish for the Society. Eventually he realized he had skills that could truly make a difference.

Ensslin ended his acceptance speech by calling everyone to service, saying: “I’m very grateful and honored to have the opportunity to lead. But I’m also mindful that this is not my year; it’s our year. It’s our year to push back against those who would stand in the way of promoting diverse and ethical journalism. It’s our year to push back against those who would curtail the public’s right to know. It’s our year to advocate on behalf of journalists who are facing tough times. … And it’s our year to push back against the prevailing winds and make SPJ stronger and better in the year ahead.”

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, visit www.spj.org.

Photos from NJSPJ Award Ceremony

Daily Newspapers Deadline Reporting:

• First Place: Wendy Ruderman and Jason Nark, “Family’s grim find,’’ Philadelphia Daily News, Gripping writing with extraordinary detail – a powerfully crafted story presented with authority.
• Second Place: David Porter and Joan Lowy, “Passengers’ hot, dark hours stranded on plane in Connecticut renew debate about tarmac time limit ’’ Associated Press
• Second Place: The Record Staff, “Rutgers suicide’’

Feature Writing:

• First Place: Mike Newall, “A Little Bit of South Philly at the Shore,’’ The Philadelphia Inquirer. This is an entertaining story about everyday life. Great character development. Makes the reader feel like he is sitting at the Driftwood Camping Resort amongst all his friends.
• Second Place: Wayne Parry, “Overage Frat Boys Dazzle, Dunk, Dis for $25,000 Prize,’’ Associated Press.
• Second Place: Tom Avril, “Physics with Fizz,’’ Philadelphia Inquirer.

Profile Writing-Daily:

• First Place: Wayne Parry, “Brain cancer forces Elvis performer to end 50-year streak of tribute shows,’’ Associated Press. After reading this story, I liked Ted Prior so much I looked him up to check on his status. Well-written, great descriptions and wonderful job connecting Ted and his story with the readers.
• Second Place: Peter Coy, “Christie budget cuts make N.J. governor action hero,’’ Bloomberg News.
• Second Place: Jason Nark, “An environmental sage’s travels lead him home,’’ Philadelphia Daily News.

Local News:

• First Place: The Record Staff, Bergen County Improvement Authority The is the sort of savvy, deep enterprise reporting that defines the best of journalism. Excellent community service.
• Second Place: Beth DeFalco, “Teen sister sex,’’ Associated Press.
• Second Place: Jason Nark, “5 years on the lam, is woodsman a Jersey devil – or dead? Philadelphia Daily News.

Public Service:

• First Place: Kirk Moore, Todd B. Bates and Jeff Cohen, Asbury Park Pres, “Barnegat Bay Under Stress” Daily Newspaper.

Sports Reporting:

• First Place: Jeffrey Roberts, The Record/north jersey.com, “New Concussion Fears Emerge” Well-documented look at concussions and why some young athletes ignore them and keep playing. The athletes profiled--one girl suffered 15 concussions while playing soccer--are memorable and should make any young person think about continuing to play when hurt.
• Second Place: Phil Anastasia, Philadelphia Inquirer “The Best High School Coach in America?”.
• Second Place: Aaron Kuriloff and Dex McLuskey, Bloomberg News “Giants-Jets Stadium in New Jersey to Host NFL’s 2014 Super Bowl”.

Daily Newspaper Column:

• First Place: Monica Yant Kinney, Philadelphia Inquirer, “N.J.’s Cowardly Adieu to Same Sex ‘I Do’ ” Use of obituary style to comment on the death of same sex marriage legislation is clever, especially in such a pointed and well-written column.
• Second Place: Charles Stile, The Record “Democrats Can Blame Themselves for Christie”.
• Second Place: Karin Price Mueller, The Star-Ledger “Bank and Switch”.

Daily Editorial Writing:

• First Place: Alfred Doblin, The Record “Condemn, Don’t Fire” Well-crafted, thoughtful editorial reminding readers that not only does the First Amendment protect unpopular speech, but, in the incident described, should not be grounds for firing. The message conveyed loud and clear by this editorial is one that can’t be repeated too often.
• Second Place: Josh Gohlke, The Philadelphia Inquirer “Easy Come, E-Z Pass”.

Daily State and Regional News:

• First Place: Elise Young, The Record, “State Pensions” Outstanding series that uncovered information about state pensions--such as double dippers--that should enrage all taxpayers. Well-written and a good example of journalists as watchdogs.
• Second Place: Angela Delli Santi, The Associated Press “Medical Marijuana”.
• Second Place: George Anastasia, The Philadelphia Inquirer “From Star FBI Witness to Ostracism.

Daily Business Reporting:

• First Place: Suzette Parmley, The Philadelphia Inquirer “Tip for A.C.: Conventions Are A Winner” Excellent, in-depth look at what is attracting people to Las Vegas and how it can serve as a model for Atlantic City.
• Second Place: Chelsea Conaboy, The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Thousands Languishing in Foreclosure ‘Limbo Land’ ”.
• Second Place: Wayne Parry and Stephen Singer, The Associated Press “Too Many Casinos? Cash-Starved Northeastern States Saturate Gambling Market”.

Daily Health, Science, Technology and Environment:

• First Place: James O’Neill, The Record, “DuPont Deal Gave State More Tainted Soil” Solid reporting uncovers the fact that polluted soil was given to the state as part of a settlement.. History of the site helps place the current situation in perspective.
• Second Place: Todd Bates, Jean Mikle and Bob Vosseller, Asbury Park Press, “Hot Spot”.
• Second Place: Wayne Parry, The Associated Press “Rev. to N.J. Church Leaders: Thou Shalt Not Facebook”.

Daily Enterprise/Series/Investigative:

• First Place: The Record Staff, The Record, “Toxic Landscape” It is obvious that The Record staff left no proverbial stone unturned when putting together this impressive and important series. The reporting is thorough and covers everything from how contaminated sites still have not been cleaned up after years of promises to the impact on the food chain. Good photos illustrate what is out there and the map was particularly helpful in letting the readers see if they live near any toxic sites.
• Second Place: Mark Mueller and Amy Brittain, The Star-Ledger “Strong at Any Cost/Prescription for Danger”.
• Second Place: Jason Nark, Philadelphia Daily News, “Family: He’s Doing 7 Years for Guns He Owned Legally”.

Page Design:

• First Place: "Pension Tension," Meghan Shapiro and Darren Phillips, NJBIZ. The interplay of type and image was smart and eye-catching, and the layout evoked the very tension that the story describes.
• Second Place: "Royal Crush," Joe St. Arney, Meghan Shapiro and Darren Phillips, NJBIZ.

Headline Writing:

• First Place: David Porter, The Associated Press “ ‘Scuse Me While I Sue These Guys” Perfect head for this story. Groovy!
• Second Place: Joe St. Arney, NJBIZ, “Filmmaker Spotlights N.J.’s ‘Field of Schemes’ ”.
• Second Place: Chris Kupferer, The Philadelphia Inquirer, “It’s a Movie Role With Legs”.

Editorial Cartooning:

• First Place: Jimmy Marguiles, The Record, “Arizona Immigration” A classic example that strong editorial cartoons often need no words (or just one)! Thought provoking!
• Second Place: Steve Crooks, The Montclair Times, “For Me, For You”

Opinion Writing: No award given

Weekly Newspapers:

Best Local News:

• First Place: Mark J. Bonamo, “Chief’s downfall ,” Hackensack Chronicle This is a deeply reported story that weaves in a vast amount of informed, relevant background.
• Second Place: Kelly Nicholaides, “Once a good investment, liquor license prices are crashing,’’ South Bergenite.
• Second Place: Dan Prochilo, “Hold it right there,’’ The Montclair Times.

Feature:

• First Place: Josh Lipowsky, "Hello, Old Friend -- Death March Survivors Reunite After 65 Years," The Jewish Standard. Comment: The article flowed seamlessly between the experiences of the men during the Holocaust, and today.
• Second Place: Jamie Saxon, "Baby Love…The Inner Workings of a Level 3 NICU," U.S. 1 Newspaper.
• Second Place: Kelly Ebbels, "At Every New Stage, A Common Refrain,’’ Glenn Rock Gazette.

Deadline Reporting:

• First Place: Darius Amos," A Major Tragedy that Was Averted," Hackensack Chronicle. Comment: A thoughtful look at the how and why behind an 18-story building collapse. Aggressive collection of reactions by cleanup workers, eyewitnesses, public officials and those affected by the collapse. Nice job of painting a word picture of the collapse and the aftermath.
• Second Place: Michael O'Leary, Mollie Gray, Anthony G. Attrino, "Wild Party at VFW Building Draws Police," Verona-Cedar Grove Times.

Profile Writing:

• First Place: Chuck O'Donnell, “Adventure goes from newsstand to mega-store,’’ Town News. The author brought the story's subject to life using powerful language. It was as if we walked into the comic book store.
• Second Place: Dan Prochilo, “Court is Adjourned,’’ The Montclair Times.
• Second Place: Karl de Vries, “Marine looks back on Iwo Jima,’’ Town Journal.

Best State or Regional News:

• First Place: Rebecca Boroson, Lois Goldrich and Josh Lipowsky, The Jewish Standard “Sacred Space?” This section explores one of the most sensitive topics of public discussion and news coverage of recent years through the thoughts and opinion of various people, including rabbis and other prominent Jews, Muslim leaders and politicians. It lets those featured speak for themselves on the subject of whether a planned Muslim building should be erected near the 9/11 site and the result is much food for thought on both sides of the issue. A real service to the readers.
• Second Place: Mark J. Bonamo Hackensack Chronicle, “Christie Might Mean GOP Rise in Bergen”.
• Second Place: Josh Lipowsky, The Jewish Standard, “DeVries Case Spurs State to Target Driving While Distracted”.

Weekly Business Reporting:

• First Place: Evelyn Lee, NJBIZ, “All Bets Are Offshore” An informative and interesting story about how Atlantic City is expanding its airport to handle international air traffic. This is well-sourced piece that gets into some of the pros and cons.
• Second Place: Jared Kaltwasser, NJBIZ, “Slipping Between the Stacks”.
• Second Place: Dan Prochilo, The Montclair Times, “It’s Quiet Alright---In A Bad Way”.

Weekly Sports Reporting:

• First Place: Brian Smith, The Montclair Times, “ ‘Wade’ Has Seen It All.” Interesting profile of a local football legend. Good use of quotes.
• Second Place: Darius Amos, Cliffside Park Citizen, “Soccer Teams Play Out Coaches’ Sibling Rivalry”.
• Second Place: Bill Alden, Town Topics Newspaper, “Riding Late Surge for PU Men’s Cross Country”.

Weekly Column Writing:

• First Place: Elizabeth Oguss, The Montclair Times, “Paper Trails: ‘From Here’ “ How a New York native realized she has come to become New Jersey proud…and lingual. Well written.
• Second Place: Christine Sablynski, West Essex Tribune, “Technology vs.. Reality”.
• Second Place: Darius Amos, Hackensack Chronicle, “Hearts and Souls”.

Weekly Editorial Writing:

• First Place: Joe St. Arney, NJBIZ, Series of Four Editorials on Transit Rail Tunnel These editorials make it plain where NJBIZ stands on the subject. The writing and reasoning are clear and include suggestions for addressing the state public transit problem. Excellent work.
• Second Place: Rebecca Boroson, The Jewish Standard, “Boorish Blogging”.
• Second Place: Mark Porter, The Montclair Times, “Taxtiles”.

Weekly Health, Science, Technology and Environment:

• First Place: Miryam Wahrman, The Jewish Standard, “Aphasia” An interesting and informative article on a health problem that most of the general public never even heard of. Wahrman does a good job of explaining what it is, how it affect individuals and the treatment available at a local center.
• Second Place: Michael Lamendola, South Bergenite, “Prescription Drug DWIs on the Rise”.
• Second Place: Philip DeVencentis, Suburban News, “Test Removes Doubt About Athletes at Risk”.

Weekly Enterprise/Series/Investigative:

• First Place: Mark Bonamo, Hackensack Chronicle, “Hackensack Police Turmoil” Morale issues and a lack of leadership on the police force are continuing problem that can impact all citizens. Solid reporting explores the origins of these issues. Look at the impact upon the city’s budget is an important element in the effectiveness of the stories.
• Second Place: Terrence T. McDonald, The Montclair Times, “Where’s Your Money Going?” Second Place: Warren Boroson, The Jewish Standard, “The Disease That Won’t Go Away”.

Weekly Public Service:

• First Place: Brian Anderson, Michael Lamendola and Daniel O’Keefe, South Bergenite “Private vs. In-Home?” etc. Well-done series comparing public services offered by the five communities in the newspaper’s circulation area. This is the type of journalism guaranteed to result in public discussion.
• Second Place: Tanya Drobness, The Montclair Times “In the Shadows: Homelessness in Montclair”.

Photography-Spot News:

First Place: place: Tariq Zehawi - The Record “Fire Displaces 21” This is a tremendous photo that looks beyond the structural fire damage to the emotional damage at the scene. To capture this extremely distraught woman as she clings to a friend for support shows the talent of the photographer to observe the scene as it unfolds. A heartbreaking scene captured tastefully.

Second Place: place: Nick Messina – Community News “On the Scene” Photography-Feature First Place: Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel – Philadelphia Inquirer “A Portrait of Hunger” The time and effort put into this package is obvious. The documentary style of shooting and the use of natural light contribute to the feel of the project and the serious problem it reports on.

Second Place: Dale Mincey: Belleview Times “Haunted attraction on of state’s largest”

Photography-Sports

• First Place: Jim Connelly – The Item of Millburn and Short Hills “Zachary Hersh is mobbed by his teammates…” Young players with joyful expressions as they greet their teammate at the plate leaves one feeling good. The tight composition helps you focus on the faces.

Daily/Weekly Wilson Barto Award:

• First Place: Bryan Wassel, Town News. Wassel is a strong, clean writer who shows he can cover a range of topics.
• Second Place: Maria Karidis, Belleville Times.
• Second Place: Kelly Ebbels, The Ridgewood News.

Daily/Weekly Newspaper Reviews:

• First Place: Bram Boroson, “A Novelist’s Search for (Divine) Life in the Universe,” The Jewish Standard A thoughtful and insightful review that gives the reader a number of ideas to ponder.
• Second Place: Jim Beckerman, “Spirited ‘Hair Spray’ Has Nary a Wisp Out of Place,” The Record.

Magazines:

Investigative:

• First Place: Mark Hrywna, "Six-Figure Retention Bonus," The Non-Profit Times. Comment: An insightful package revealing the huge payouts made to the retiring heads of non-profit organizations. The six-figure payouts are enough to make any contributor sit up and take notice of where the money is headed in some of the most well known organizations in the nation. Thanks for shedding light on these high price tag packages.

Reporting:

• First Place: Caren Chesler "In It Together," New Jersey Monthly. Comment: A comprehensive and compelling look at shared municipal services.
• Second Place: Mary Jo Patterson, "Teachers Under Fire," New Jersey Monthly.
• Second Place: Jen A. Miller, "Where Have All The Catholic Schools Gone?" New Jersey Monthly.

Feature and Profile Writing:

• First Place: Leslie Garisto Pfaff, “Absolutely Positive,’’ Drew Magazine. Comment: The author tells a powerful story full of emotion. Her strong use of the language transformed an incredible story into an awe-inspiring one.
• Second Place: John T. Ward, “The devil was in us,’’ Drew Magazine.
• Second Place: Linda G. Arntzenius, “Belle of the Books,’’ Princeton Magazine.

Business:

• First Place: Jeff Schlegel, "Opening the Doors," Financial Advisor Magazine Comments: The author provided a fascinating view of the struggles the financial advisor industry faces as it ages and attempts to recruit its next generation of workers. The writer's use of anecdotes throughout added a lot of color to illustrate the points. A very interesting read!
• Second Place: Mark Hrywna, "Healthcare Creating Headaches with New 1099 Requirements," The Nonprofit Times.

Opinion:

• First Place: Paul Clolery, The NonProfit Times, "Scrubbing Bubbles", An interesting point of view on the sleight of hand by bankers holding up the charitable sector. The writer does an excellent job honing in on the issue.
• Second Place: Paul Clolery, The NonProfit Times, "Y' Do It?"
• Second Place: Paul Clolery, The NonProfit Times, Hey Lay-Dee.."

Television News:

• First Place: Walt Kane, Matt Murphy, Anthony Cocco, Ryan Beckman, "City Council Bribe,’’ News 12 New Jersey. An effective piece of "gotcha" journalism in which Kane does a good job pressing a councilman for the truth about his offer.
• Second Place: Nyier Abdou, Brian Donohue, Andre Malok, "Same Sex Marriage Defeated in New Jersey Senate Vote," Star-Ledger-NJ.com.
• Second Place: Walt Kane, Matt Murphy, Anthony Cocco, Ryan Beckman, "Misleading Stimulus Jobs," News 12 New Jersey.

Enterprise:

• First Place: Nyier Abdou, "Military Families Cope With Traumatic Brain Injury at West Orange Hospital,’’ Star-Ledger-NJ.com A truly outstanding piece of narrative long form journalism. Deeply touching and powerful. I defy anyone not to cry a little while watching this.
• Second Place: Janet Gardner, Elena Mannes, Mitsuka Brooks, Keith Yeager, Kevin Cloutiere, Jessica Weiner, "Mechanic to Millionaire: The Peter Cooper Story,’’ American Public Television.
• Second Place: Nyier Abdou, "High School Athletes Tackle Sports Concussions," Star-Ledger-NJ.com.

Radio Enterprise:

• First Place: Chris Capitanio, Maya Carr, James Bracciante, "Building a Boulevard," Rowan Radio. The piece did an effective job of explaining the importance of the school and town officials working together. Using natural sound at the beginning of the piece was a nice touch. No second or third place chosen in this category.

Online Business:

• First Place: Maureen Nevin Duffy, “The Condo Conundrum,’’ Institutional Investor. ”Informative look and explanation of why some condo owners--and lenders--refuse to pay condo dues and its impact on the current foreclosure crisis in America.
• Second Place: Maureen Nevin Duffy, “Moody’s Credit Rating Service Explains Its Process,’’ Institutional Investor.

Online Essay:

• First Place: Sally Friedman, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, “Holocaust Remembrance Day Not Only Honors The Dead.” In an amazingly short piece, Friedman reminds us why the Holocaust and its victims must never be forgotten. Well written.
• Second Place: Carla Cantor, Rutgers Focus, “How I Got Bilked Out of $1,000 and Became A Victim of Cyber Crime.”
• Second Place: Warren Boroson, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, “What It’s Really Like to be Retired.”

Online Page Design:

• First Place: Carla Cantor, Rutgers Office of Media Relations, “Rutgers Today Homepage” Though it appears crowded at first glance, this webpage has handy sections that users can see at a glance what they are looking for--events, athletics, Rutgers in the News, etc.--and easily access it. A useful site.
• Second Place: Charlie Cottone, Michael L. Lewis and Linda Cuttone, BigAppleSoccer.com.

Online Public Service:

• First Place: Joe Malinconico, PatersonPress.com, “Municipal Budget Crisis” “Malinconico made coverage the city’s budget woes ongoing and it’s lucky for the citizens of Paterson that he did. While full of financial details and information, the reporter presents them in a direct way that the average reader can understand. Good job of keeping the community informed of a subject that affects them all.
• Second Place: Warren Boroson, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, “Frank Financial Advice for Young People.”

Online Feature Reporting:

• First Place: John Chadwick, Rutgers Today, “Hip-Hop Artist and Neuroscientist Find Common Ground and Hope” This is an interesting and unusual feature about two very different and engaging individuals who have something quite serious in common. Although spinal chord injuries is a serious topic, the writer did a good job of capturing their personalities.

Independent Blog: No Winner

Media Affiliated Blog:

• First Place: Amy Rosenberg, Philadelphia Inquirer, “Jersey Shore” This blog has useful tips for those going to the shore along with some interesting insights from Rosenberg. It is apparent she likes writing the blog.
• Second Place: Anthony Buccino, NJ.com, Transit Blog.

Best Media Affiliated Website:

• First Place: Janice Selinger - Executive Producer, Sara Lee Kessler, Edward Hartman III, Young Soo Yang, Jeff Reisly, Joel Cermele and Kaitlin Chieco, NJN Public Television “Decoding Autism” Website This is an attractive and easy-to-navigate site addressing a serious topic. The combination of information (including fast fact list), videos and resources helps demystify the subject of autism or the average person.

Best Online Independent News Organization:

• First Place: PatersonPress.com PatersonPress.com fills an important need by providing quality news coverage to New Jersey’s third largest city. It is an impressive site.
• Second Place: NJ Spotlight.
• Second Place: BigAppleSoccer.com.

Online News Reporting:

• First Place: John R.D. Celock, Westfield Patch, “Matt Kresvetsky Coverage”.
• Second Place: John Mooney, NJ Spotlight, “The Race to the Top Saga”.
• Second Place: Tom Johnson, NJ Spotlight, “NJ’s High Energy Costs”.

Online Sports: No winner

Newsletters:

• First Place: Tony Mottola, Linda Lobdell and Mitchell Seidel, Jersey Jazz The answer to a jazz fan’s dream. Jersey Jazz is packed with information, reviews, performance schedules, events and interviews. The layout is clean with good typography. An effective black and white publication.
• Second Place: Alice Weiss-Miller, WWFM, The Classical Network, Quarter Notes.
• Second Place: Mike Mathis, New Jersey Courts, Judiciary Times.

Tim O’Brien Award:

• Leslie Kwoh, The Star-Ledger, “No Easy Exit from New Jersey.’’ “To Leslie Kwoh, for persistently going the distance in obtaining explanations to help demystify an elusive tax affecting New Jersey residents who move out of state.’’

Stuart and Beverley Awbrey Award for Community Weekly Newspaper Journalism:

• Bill George and the Amboy Beacon, in recognition of efforts to help bring community organizations together and provide a forum for candidates to discuss the issues in order to ensure free and fair elections.

Former Times of Trenton city editor Wilson Barto‚ 83‚ whose lifelong career in news spanned more than 59 years and jobs at five newspapers‚ died Monday‚ November 1‚ 2010.  Barto was the first president of the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Each year‚ awards are given to first year journalists in his honor. Find his obituary here at nj.com.

Former NJSPJ board member Seth Mandel remembers:

In his 50 years since helping to found the New Jersey Society of  Professional Journalists‚ there are two moments of pride that stand out  to Wilson Barto involving a debate with an empty chair and a telegram gone perfectly wrong.

The latter incident took place when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev  visited the U.S. in 1960‚ and the editor of the Perth Amboy Evening News was fired for running a front-page wire photo of Khrushchev’s plane taking off from Moscow. The editor‚ Nicholas O’Dea Lederer‚ was hired back and then almost immediately fired again this time for not running a photo of Khrushchev’s arrival.

Barto‚ the first president of the NJSPJ‚ called the other officers of  the chapter and they all agreed it would be appropriate to immediately send a telegram to the paper’s owner‚ John Barnhart‚ and register their disapproval.

“I sent this telegram to Mr. Barnhart in Florida: ‘Local management unfamiliar with editorial responsibilities wrecking a good daily’‚” Barto recalled.

Soon after that‚ the executive director of the New Jersey Press Association‚ Lloyd Burns‚ called Barto and said that Barnhart was “fit  to be tied.”

Concerned about that reaction‚ Barto asked Burns what the telegram  actually said.

Burns responded‚ “Local management unfamiliar with editorial responsibilities wrecking a dog daily.”

“Western Union‚ instead of telegramming ‘good daily’ had changed the word and mistakenly ran ‘dog daily’. And it settled the case of Nicholas O’Dea Lederer; he came back and he was there long enough to retire‚” Barto said.

Barto’s other point of pride concerns the 1961 New Jersey gubernatorial election between Richard Hughes‚ a former judge‚ and James Mitchell‚ President Eisenhower’s secretary of labor. The New Jersey chapter of the SPJ then still known as Sigma Delta Chi (SDX) arranged to host a debate between the candidates. Mitchell balked‚ however‚ and the chapter’s membership was split over whether to go ahead with the debate.

Barto called the officers and they agreed they should hold the debate even if Mitchell persisted in his refusal to join Hughes on stage.

“It was one of our proudest moments‚ because Richard Hughes never forgot Sigma Delta Chi‚ ” Barto said. “What we did was gave him good exposure before the press of New Jersey.”

Barto was the first secretary of an SDX chapter in central Pennsylvania centered on Pennsylvania State University‚ in 1954‚ while he was editor of a daily paper in the area. The following year‚ Barto came to New Jersey to edit the Daily Home News and wanted to open an SDX chapter in the state. At the time‚ New Jersey-based journalists would participate in the SDX New York chapter.

“And for young reporters that was pretty expensive stuff‚” Barto said of the cost to travel into the city regularly on a reporter’s salary.

So Barto wrote to the national office of the SDX and asked for a list of SDX members in New Jersey. He and another active New Jersey journalist took the lead‚ and after Princeton Packet owner Barney Kilgore paid the group’s $81 initiation fee‚ the chapter started meeting at North Brunswick’s Flagpost Inn. The chapter began with 29 members (though SDX was not yet admitting women or public relations professionals).

Barto was pleased with the amount of interest in the chapter but not surprised.

“The newspaper business was swingin’ at that time‚” he said. “I came through in the golden years.”

Under Barto’s leadership the chapter even inaugurated a “talented typewriter” award to encourage the young journalists’ talent; the chapter currently has an award named for Barto‚ which rewards the work of outstanding first-year reporters.

Barto has also watched the altering of the industry’s landscape from those “golden years” to much leaner times. He sees the consolidation of print media in New Jersey and elsewhere by large companies resulting in a less independent crop of newspapers as one of the side effects of the expense of owning a newspaper. He remembers when the New York Sun closed in 1950‚ the Associated Press columnist Harold V. “Hal” Boyle responded by noting that “the sad thing about newspapers is that the people who love them don’t have the money to own them.”

While he admits that he “fears” for journalists‚ he tells them to stick it out. “I’m a dyed-in-the-wool newspaper man‚” he said.

True to that characterization‚ Barto only two weeks ago retired from journalism. He had been covering local news for a paper in Montgomery County‚ Penn. outside of Philadelphia. It’s technically his second retirement‚ since he once retired as the editor of the Trentonian. In fact‚ he was the only person to serve as an editor of both the Trentonian and the Trenton Times.

“It’s a wonder I’m not cross-eyed‚” he quipped.

To add to his list of “firsts‚ ” Barto was also New Jersey’s first newspaper ombudsman‚ while he was working at the Trenton Times “a fantastic assignment‚” he said.

As ombudsman‚ he was not an editorial authority at the paper‚ but rather handled complaints and gave a daily report on what the paper was doing right and wrong.

“And my old journalism professor at Penn State‚ when I wrote to him about it‚ he said‚ ‘just make sure that you spend as much time congratulating reporters as you do criticizing them.’ I always remembered that‚” Barto said.

Barto is happy to impart some advice to the next generation though that piece of advice won’t surprise those who have followed his career.

“This is easy for me to say‚ ” Barto said. “But I would say for God’s sake hang on. It takes commitment from the day you step into the first newsroom. You have to hang on; you’ve got the commitment if you can hang on.”

Still‚ in exhorting journalists to stick it out‚ Barto freely acknowledges that the tide he swam against wasn’t quite as daunting as what young reporters face today.

“I got my tail feathers over the fence just in time‚” he said.

Need some guidance? Not sure if you should stay or if you should go? Want to help aspiring journalists get their start?

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Mentor Match-Up program is here to help.

SPJ’s Mentor Match-up aims to promote great journalism by introducing journalists of different experience levels and similar interests. Participating journalists are encouraged to communicate by e-mail‚ phone and occasional personal visits. SPJ helps make a match but leaves it to program participants to decide the nature and frequency of their communications.

The program is open only to SPJ members. Journalists wanting to serve as mentors must have more than five years of professional experience. Journalists who want mentoring must have less than five years of experience.

Sounds like something you’re interested in?

Log on to www.spj.org/mentor.asp for more information

PLEASE PASS ON AND POST IN NEWSROOMS!

As part of its long support for freedom of information in New Jersey‚ the New Jersey Chapter of SPJ has since 2002 distributed more than 1‚000 wallet cards providing useful summaries of the main provisions of the state’s two main laws concerning open records and open meetings.

The cards – one covering the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) and one covering the Open Public Meetings Act (“The Sunshine Law’) – are provided free as a handy reference for journalists‚ public officials and the public.