[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S1666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO RON DZWONKOWSKI

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is a truism, a belief espoused by those 
of all political parties and persuasions, that the functioning of our 
democracy depends on an informed citizenry to make wise decisions at 
the ballot box and hold elected officials accountable.
  That means our system depends on careful, thoughtful, impartial 
journalists, those who bring to their work as much passion for 
knowledge and understanding as we bring to our advocacy for policies we 
support. In that difficult and necessary work, few Michigan journalists 
have succeeded more than Ron Dzwonkowski of the Detroit Free Press, 
which is why the recent announcement of his selection to the Michigan 
Journalism Hall of Fame is so well-deserved.
  For nearly three decades, Dzwonkowski has served the Free Press as an 
editor, editorialist, and columnist. His professional peers have 
awarded him a host of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize and a National 
Headliner Award for work to which he has contributed. As an editor and 
writer for the Free Press's editorial pages, he has shown a remarkable 
commitment to accuracy, but just as important, a remarkable passion for 
solving the problems of our city and State.
  Whether he is praising an elected official or criticizing one, his 
writing is grounded in a thorough understanding of the facts and a 
commitment to looking out, above all, for the interests of Michigan's 
citizens. His reporting, writing, and editing have made a significant 
and lasting difference in the lives of the readers he serves, and his 
selection to the State's hall of fame for journalists is a much-
deserved reward for a career of distinguished service, one I hope will 
continue for many, many years to come.

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