Our Work
Honorees
The WNPA annually provides special recognition to those whose work is crucial to community journalism, though not in line for the Better Newspaper Contest. Specifically, the Miles W. Turnbull Master Editor/Publisher Award recognizes someone who may be actively engaged in editing, and managing and/or publishing a newspaper. The Dixie Lee Bradley Award goes to a newspaper staff member who works long and hard, often behind the scenes. And the Freedom’s Light Award is awarded to a community member or elected official whose tireless focus on protecting open public records.
Miles W. Turnbull Master Editor/Publisher Award
First presented in 1994, the Miles W. Turnbull Master Editor/Publisher Award honors an outstanding newspaper editor, manager, or publisher whose leadership, service, and dedication have made a lasting impact on their newspaper, community, the state of Washington, and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. The award recognizes unselfish service, commitment to community journalism, and support for a free press and public access to information.
→ Submit a Turnbull Award nomination
Freedom’s Light Award
Established in 1995, Freedom’s Light is WNPA’s highest honor for non-journalists. This award recognizes elected officials and other allies who have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to protecting the public’s right to know by defending open government, public records, and access to information. As pressures mount to restrict or monetize public records, Freedom’s Light celebrates those who ensure that truth and transparency continue to illuminate democracy.
→ Submit a Freedom's Light nomination
Dixie Lee Bradley Award
Created in 1996, the Dixie Lee Bradley Award honors the legacy of a woman who served WNPA and its members with dedication for 45 years. The award recognizes newspaper staff members whose behind-the-scenes efforts, hard work, and passion help produce and deliver exceptional community newspapers week after week, embodying the spirit of service that defined Dixie Lee Bradley’s career.
→ Submit a Dixie Lee Bradley nomination
All nominations are due by July 1, 2026, and award recipients will be honored at the WNPA Convention in Everett, October 2–3, 2026.
Gerry Pollett, 2025 Freedom’s Light Award Receipient
October 23, 2025
Gerry is a lawyer and a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 46th District since 2011. He first learned to champion open government as a teen helping his father, a politician in New York, uncover kickbacks of various kinds through the use of public records.
His father handed his information to Newsday, sealing the lesson for Gerry that the public’s right to know is essential.
As the long-time executive director of Heart of America Northwest, he is a vocal activist for cleaning up the Hanford nuclear site before radiation leeches into the groundwater and then into the Columbia River. That cleanup is difficult and expensive, and fraught with delays in attempts to seek public records.
Unlike some elected officials who may see the PRA as an irritant and prefer to weaken it, Gerry has seen it from the other side, and is a constant advocate for transparency. He is among legislators who have signed a pledge never to invoke something called “legislative privilege.” House Democratic caucus leadership, in particular, advocates that lawmakers use this privilege, currently in litigation, to withhold documents from the public. Gerry’s dedication is to be celebrated, and the WNPA hopes to work with other elected officials to ensure commitment like Gerry’s to open public records more commonly practiced and valued.
Debbie Guerrero, 2025 Dixie Lee Bradley Award Recipient
October 23, 2025
Dixie Lee Bradley Award
Dixie Lee Bradley tirelessly served WNPA and its members for 45 years. This award, which was conceived in 1996, symbolizes Bradley’s devotion and passion for community newspapers.
It recognizes newspaper staff members who work long and hard, often behind the scenes, to see that the best possible community newspaper is produced and distributed each week.
Publishers nominate one staff member per newspaper. The selection criteria includes a demonstrated record over a considerable time of consistent quality work in any facet of the community newspaper industry including production, circulation, or front office support.
Debbie has been at the Sun several decades, surviving at least three owners, four publishers and multiple editors, ad managers, etc. Debbie has managed circulation and preprint advertising, while simultaneously serving as the bookkeeper. She also knows the postal service system inside and out, making sure newspaper readers got their papers on time.
When the Sun operated as a daily, she handled those duties as well as selling advertising to Spanish-speaking business clients. And when the newspaper still had a press, you could often find Debbie handling quality control, as well, directing color corrections and helping mailroom employees and child carriers. Debbie knows how to run a newspaper from the ground up.
She has been the glue that held the Sunnyside newspaper together through multiple transitions. Today, Debbie is not only the office manager, but also a co-owner of the Sunnyside Sun, a testament to her knowledge of newspapers and what it takes behind the scenes.
John C. Hughes, 2025 Miles Turnbull Award Recipient
October 22, 2025
Miles W. Turnbull Master Editor/Publisher Award
The first WNPA Master Editor/Publisher award was presented at WNPA’s 1994 annual convention.
This award may be given to any person who is actively engaged in editing, managing and/or publishing a newspaper which is a member in good standing of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.
The recipient must have worked hard and unselfishly and made a significant contribution to his/her newspaper, community, state, as well as the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Selection criteria also includes service to a free press or freedom of information, and service to the cause of community newspapers.
John C. Hughes spent 50 years in journalism, and just recently wrapped up his career retiring as the state’s historian.
The Chinook Observer shared Hughes poignant conversation with TVW, beginning its story thus: “John C. Hughes is, at root, a storyteller. As he marks the end of a nearly six-decade career that spanned hot-type newspapering on the coast to crafting the biographical record of Washington’s political and civic leaders, he recognizes a shift in his own disposition. Once sanguine about civic life, even with all its faults, he finds himself in a funk at this time of transition — morose, melancholy and discouraged.”
Read more about this remarkable journalist and historian here.
Link: https://chinookobserver.com/2025/07/15/state-historian-closes-book-on-career-in-a-melancholy-mood/
Past Honorees include:
January 28, 2025
Miles W. Turnbull Master Editor/Publisher Award
1994 Frank Garred, Port Townsend/Jefferson County Leader
1995 John E. Andrist, Okanogan County Chronicle, Omak
1996 Henry G. Gay, Shelton-Mason County Journal
1997 Jeffrey G. Fletcher, Grant County Journal, Ephrata
1998 Jim Flint, Toppenish Review/Wapato Independent
1999 Tom Taylor, Peninsula Gateway, Gig Harbor
2000 Jane Meyer, Mercer Island Reporter, Mercer Island
2001 Jerry Robinson, Robinson Newspapers, Seattle
2003 Debbie Berto, The Issaquah Press
2005 Scott Wilson, Port Townsend-Jefferson County Leader
2006 Ted Grossman, The Islands’ Sounder, Eastsound
2007 John L. Fournier Jr., Prosser Record-Bulletin, Grandview Herald
2008 No award given
2009 Dave Pinkham, Stanwood-Camano News
2010 No award given
2011 Manfred Tempelmayr, Sound Publishing
2012 Sue Ellen Riesau, Sequim Gazette & Forks Forum
2013 Mike Dillon, Pacific Publishing, Seattle
2014 No award given
2015 Fred Obee, Port Townsend Leader
2016 Lori Maxim, Sound Publishing
2017 Frank DeVaul, DeVaul Publishing
2018 Paul Archipley, Beacon Publishing
2019 Michael Lewis, Lynden Tribune
2020 Fred Willenbrock, Newport Miner
2022 Andy McNabb, Sunnyside Sun
2023 Scott Hunter, Grand Coulee Star
2024 John Brewer
Freedom's Light
1995 Cal Anderson, State Senator, Seattle
1996 Retired Chief Justice James A. Anderson
1997 Thomas S. Foley, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, former Speaker of the House
1998 Walter C. Woodward, former publisher, Bainbridge Island Review
1999 Michael J. Killeen, Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle
2000 State Auditor Brian Sonntag
2001 Representative Clyde Ballard, Washington State Legislature
2002 Senator Adam Kline, Washington State Legislature
2003 Washington State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas
2004 State Judge C. Kenneth Gross
2006 State Rep. Toby Nixon
2007 Rob McKenna, attorney general, and State Rep. Lynn Kessler
2008 Justice Richard B. Sanders, State Supreme Court
2009 Frank Garred, WNPA past president
2010 No award given
2011 No award given
2012 Rowland Thompson, Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington
2013 Frank Chopp, State Representative (43rd District), Seattle
2014 No award given
2015 Governor Jay Inslee
2016 -2024 No award given
Dixie Lee Bradley
1997 Elizabeth Widel, Okanogan County Chronicle, Omak
1998 Nellie Williams, Whidbey News-Times, Oak Harbor
1999 No award given
2000 JoAnn Anderson, Leavenworth Echo
2001 Renne Duke, The Monroe Monitor
2004 Elizabeth Grewell, The Port Townsend Leader
2005 Marilyn Bardin, Methow Valley News, Twisp
2007 Rhonda Dicksion, Monroe Monitor & Valley News
2008 Patti Rydeen, Stanwood/Camano News
2010 Lavonne Saunders, Ritzville-Adams County Journal
2011 Linda Chittim, Beacon Publishing, Mukilteo
2014 Mary Lou Goss, Federal Way Mirror, Federal Way (presented posthumously)
2015 Mae Waldron, WNPA
2016 Jerri Stoner, Northern Kittitas County Tribune
2017 Darla Hussey, Methow Valley News, Twisp
2018 Jeanie Luna, the Northern Light, Blaine
2019 Cindy Vest, La Conner Weekly News
2020 Renae Justice, DeVaul Publishing
2021 No award given
2022 Tammy Armstrong
2023 Julie Bock
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