New officers, directors elected to board
Charles Broadwell, publisher of The Fayetteville Observer in Fayetteville, N.C., was elected as the next president of the North Carolina Press Association and North Carolina Press Services during the 137th annual meeting of the NCPA held March 18, 2010. His term of office begins Aug. 1, 2010. Full story.

North Carolinian of the Year

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina Press Association presented University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles with its 2010 North Carolinian of the Year award. The presentation was made March 18 during the NCPA’s annual Winter Institute held in the Dean Smith Center on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.

Beginning in 1993, the North Carolina Press Association began bestowing the title of North Carolinian of the Year to outstanding representatives of our state. Honorees have come from a variety of professions: Entertainers, politicians, sports legends, religious and educational leaders and journalists. Past winners include the Rev. Billy Graham, Hugh Morton, Gen. Hugh Shelton, Richard Petty, Jerry Richardson and William and Ida Friday.

Bowles has been president of the state university system for four years. He recently announced he would retire by the end of the year. Since then, U.S. President Barack Obama named him and former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson to lead a panel on reducing the federal debt.

Bowles, whose background is in the financial sector, served as White House chief of staff and deputy chief of staff during the Clinton administration.

Professor wins Lassiter Award
Professor Cathy Packer received the 2010 William C. Lassiter First Amendment Award from the North Carolina Press Association for her work in promoting a free press and free speech. More.

Board elections
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Charles Broadwell, publisher of The Fayetteville Observer in Fayetteville, N.C., was elected as the next president of the North Carolina Press Association and North Carolina Press Services during the 137th annual meeting of the NCPA held March 18, 2010.

Broadwell’s term begins August 1. He currently serves as vice president and co-chairman of the Legislative Committee. He is concluding a two-year term as president of the North Carolina Press Foundation.

His newspaper career began at the age of 16 in the Observer’s sports department. He was editor of the newspaper for 11 years and was named publisher in 2000.

Jeffrey A. Byrd was elected vice president of the organization. He is the publisher of the Tryon Daily Bulletin, located in Tryon, N.C. He has been with that newspaper since1989. His publication is known as the world’s smallest daily newspaper.

During the annual meeting, the membership also elected the following to the board of directors:

• Les High, editor of The News Reporter of Whiteville, N.C. (3-year term)
• Jon Jimison, editor of The Wilson Times of Wilson, N.C. (3-year term)
• Diane Winnemuller, publisher of The Courier-Tribune of Asheboro, N.C. (3-year term)
• Robyn Tomlin, executive editor of the Star-News of Wilmington, N.C. (2-year term to fill vacancy)

The board of directors approved the appointment of Regina Howard-Glaspie as secretary-treasurer of NCPA. She is the circulation director of the News & Record of Greensboro, N.C. Hal Tanner III, general manager of the News-Argus of Goldsboro, N.C., was re-appointed as secretary-treasurer of NCPS.

In separate meetings, Orage Quarles III, publisher of The News & Observer of Raleigh, was elected president of the Associated Dailies of North Carolina, and Terry Coomes, publisher of the Independent-Tribune of Concord/Kannapolis, was elected president of the North Carolina Association of Community Newspapers.

All terms of office begin Aug. 1, 2010.

David Woronoff, publisher of The Pilot at Southern Pines, N.C., is the current president of NCPA and will continue on the board and executive committee next year as the immediate past president.

Lassiter Award

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Professor Cathy Packer received the 2010 William C. Lassiter First Amendment Award from the North Carolina Press Association for her work in promoting a free press and free speech. The award was presented at the Winter Institute and Annual Meeting of the NCPA on March 18 in the Dean Smith Center at Chapel Hill.

Packer is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in media law. She is a co-editor of the North Carolina Media Law Handbook published by the North Carolina Press Foundation and the university.

Her support for freedom of the press goes beyond academics. She organized the first First Amendment Day at UNC, held Oct. 1, 2009. She wrote a proposal and received a grant to fund this activity, which included panels starring students who had dissented at a major speech on campus and the chancellor reading from banned books. The event was well received across campus and will be incorporated into the school’s activities as an annual event.

Her scholarship focuses on First Amendment issues, confidential sources, access to state and local governments and taxation of media. She has published 22 reviews of books about the First Amendment and related issues and five journal articles, along with two law review articles and four book chapters. Packer is a former newspaper reporter.

The Lassiter Award is one of the most important the NCPA gives every year. It is named in honor of William C. Lassiter, who was the general counsel to the NCPA for nearly 50 years. This award honors non-journalists who demonstrate extra strong commitment to open government and the defense of the First Amendment.

Dinner with the North Carolina Supreme Court

On March 17, members of the North Carolina Press Association, faculty and students of the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication were hosts to the seven members of the N.C. Supreme Court. The keynote speech was delivered by Chief Justice Sarah Parker.