[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 21, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5205-S5206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO MIKE DONOGHUE
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would like to call the Senate's attention
to the continued First Amendment advocacy of a Vermont journalist, Mike
Donoghue of the Burlington Free Press. The Vermont Press Association
has presented Mike with the prestigious Matthew Lyon Award, for his
staunch advocacy of First Amendment rights.
Mike is a talented and seasoned reporter, and in more than 40 years
as a staff writer at the Free Press he has covered local, State and
national news, as well as sporting events--all, with integrity and
vigor. He has shown a steadfast commitment to truth-telling, to getting
the facts, and getting them right, for the people of Vermont.
While Mike has achieved noteworthy accomplishments and awards during
his tenure at the Free Press, it is, especially, his work as an
advocate and teacher of First Amendment protections that have drawn the
distinction of the Matthew Lyon Award. He served two terms as president
of the Vermont Press Association, where he worked to expand the use of
cameras in Vermont courtrooms. As a founder of the Vermont Coalition
for Open Government, he has provided testimony in front of the Vermont
Legislature on a regular basis and on a variety of topics related to
First Amendment rights. Mike not only is a veteran reporter and
volunteer advocate but a dedicated educator as well. He is an adjunct
professor of journalism at Saint Michael's College in Colchester--my
alma mater--and he has trained young journalists throughout Vermont and
New England as well as through the auspices of the New England Press
Association, the New England Society of Newspaper Editors, and
Investigative Reporters and Editors. His commitment to teaching and
defending the tenets of the First Amendment led him to participate as a
trainer in Ireland after the country passed its Freedom of Information
Act in 1997.
The Vermont Press Association each year offers the Matthew Lyon Award
to an individual who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the
First Amendment and to ``the public's right to know the truth in
Vermont.'' It is named for Congressman Matthew Lyon, one of the
foremost defenders of the Bill of Rights. He served in the U.S. House
of Representatives on behalf of Vermont, as well as Kentucky, beginning
in the 5th Congress. Congressman Lyon is known for his time in jail--
and subsequent reelection during his sentence--on charges of sedition
in 1798 for his sharp criticism of President John Adams.
Throughout his career, Mike Donoghue has worked tirelessly to promote
accountability of public officials, and transparency in government
agencies. As an earlier recipient of this same award, I will always
feel a special kinship in these efforts with champions like Mike
Donoghue.
I ask unanimous consent that this announcement from the Vermont Press
Association about Mike Donoghue's selection for this award be printed
into the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
BFP's Donoghue Wins VT Press 1st Amendment Award
(By The Vermont Press Association, July 6, 2015)
Montpelier.--Longtime journalist and educator Mike Donoghue
of South Burlington has been selected to receive the Matthew
Lyon Award for his lifetime commitment to the First Amendment
and the public's right to know the truth in Vermont.
The Vermont Press Association, which represents the
interests of 11 daily and about four dozen non-daily
newspapers circulating in Vermont, will honor Donoghue at its
annual meeting and awards banquet at noon Thursday, July 16
at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier.
Donoghue, an award-winning veteran news and sports writer
for the Burlington Free Press, is being recognized for
efforts in his spare time working as an adjunct professor of
journalism at St. Michael's College, as a longtime officer
with the Vermont Press Association and his volunteer efforts
with various groups including New England First Amendment
Coalition (NEFAC), New England Newspaper and Press
Association (NENPA) and the Society for Professional
Journalists (SPJ).
VPA President John Flowers said Donoghue has been on the
front lines in seeking greater public accountability through
a range of efforts, including that government officials and
courts ensure records are easily available to the public, and
that government meetings and court hearings are open to
Vermonters.
``Mike's efforts in accountability journalism at the
Burlington Free Press are well documented over several
decades. But the Lyon award is focusing on his efforts in
educating students, the public, government officials, and
journalists--both for print and electronic media outlets.
Mike is called upon frequently to speak in classrooms, in the
community and at professional conferences from Vermont to
Ireland.''
His work has helped improve both the open meeting law and
public records law in Vermont, Flowers said. He noted it was
while serving as VPA President in the mid-1980s that Donoghue
helped lead the media efforts in successfully obtaining
approval for cameras in Vermont Courts.
St. Michael's College recruited Donoghue in 1985 to teach
as an adjunct professor in the journalism department, where
he still helps. He also served as an officer for the Vermont
Press Association for 35 years until he resigned as its
executive director earlier this year. Donoghue was
instrumental in getting the VPA headquarters anchored at St.
Michael's College.
Donoghue serves on the executive board of NEFAC, a six-
state effort promoting the First Amendment. He was on the New
England Press Association Board of Directors and various
committees 1995-2001. The Society of Professional Journalists
appointed Donoghue in 1990 to serve as the Vermont chairman
for Project Sunshine, a nationwide First Amendment effort--a
volunteer hat he still wears.
The VPA solicits nominations from Vermonters each year for
the Lyon award, which honors people who have an unwavering
devotion to the five freedoms within the First Amendment and
to the principle that the public's right to know the truth is
essential in a self-governed democracy, Flowers said.
Donoghue has been named to five halls of fame. They include
induction as one of 35 charter members selected by the New
England Press Association for its Community Journalism Hall
of Fame in 2000. Three years later he was named one of three
charter members selected nationwide by the Society of
Professional Journalists and The National Freedom of
Information Coalition for their National Hall of Fame for
Local Heroes.
Other honors include the Yankee Quill Award in 2007 for a
lifetime commitment to outstanding journalism in New England
and beyond; selected the New England Journalist of the Year
for print or electronic media in 2013; and voted by Gannett
employees nationwide to receive ``Greater Good Award'' from
the company in 2013.
The Lyon Award is named for a former Vermont congressman
who was jailed in 1798 under the Alien and Sedition Act for
sending a letter to the editor, criticizing President John
Adams. While Lyon was serving his federal sentence in a
Vergennes jail, Vermonters re-elected him to the U.S. House
of Representatives. Lyon is credited with ousting Adams when
he cast the deciding vote in favor of Thomas Jefferson when
the 1800 presidential race went to Congress for a final
determination.
Previous Matthew Lyon winners include Patrick J. Leahy for
his work as a state prosecutor and U.S. senator; Edward J.
Cashman for his efforts as Chittenden Superior Court clerk, a
state prosecutor and state judge; Robert Hemley, for his many
successful fights as a lawyer to keep courtrooms open and
court files available to the public; Gregory Sanford, state
archivist, for his work in maintaining, restoring and saving
government records for public access; H. Allen Gilbert,
executive director of ACLU in Vermont for fighting for
greater public access to government records and for public
disclosure about police misconduct; and Ken Squier and WDEV-
radio for efforts to inform Vermonters about state and local
issues.
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