Outstanding Columnist
George Cadogan Memorial Outstanding Columnist Award
Sponsored by the Cadogan Foundation Inc.
Class 2051 - circ. open

Judge's Comments

Paul MacNeill of the Montague (PE) Eastern Graphic is this year's Outstanding Columnist. MacNeill has been a consistent warrior in the interests of fair play and honesty in his region for years. This year, his entry included two fine columns lambasting provincial government secrecy regarding freedom of information and confiscatory policies regarding seniors' assets. The first column in his entry dealt with the death of his wife Jeanne. He managed to express the depth of his feelings about his wife and his gratitude to the community and his staff without becoming at all maudlin.

David Teetzel of the Richmond Hill/Thornhill (ON) Liberal, another perennial finalist, is this year's runner up. Teetzel's authoritative and reasoned entries championed specific interests of the homeless, young parents and older workers.

Bill Phillips of the Williams Lake (BC) Tribune takes third place. He spent a week on a ranch challenged by the mad cow crisis and rain-deprived hay crops. His words ring true with the flavour of first-hand knowledge.

The entries in this class reaffirm my conviction that a newspaper of nothing but the best columns could be a great success. I wish there was room here for highlights and honourable mentions.

The constructive criticisms I am required to offer don't change:
* Keep it local. Your readers have many excellent sources of commentary on provincial, federal and international issues.
* Avoid reader boredom and idea overkill by dealing with more than one issue in one column.
* Challenge the conventional, populist, wisdom. Illumination, not popularity, should be your goal.
* Break up your column with subheads. Readers have ever less tendency to delve into large, gray, blocks. Columns should appear in the same place each week.