[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 23]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 32415-32416]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRATULATING DAVID CRISOSTOMO

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 15, 2003

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
David Crisostomo, a distinguished young journalist from Guam for his 
selection for the ``Gannett Newsroom Supervisor Recognition Award for 
2003.'' As one of sixteen newsroom managers

[[Page 32416]]

recognized from a pool of sixty national finalists, the Gannett award 
is presented in recognition of exemplary leadership.
  David began his career as a newsroom intern with the Pacific Daily 
News in 1992 and became a local news reporter in 1996. He served as a 
lifestyle reporter, assistant lifestyle editor and assistant local news 
editor; quickly working his way up the ranks to be appointed local news 
editor in December 2002.
  David's selection for the Gannett award was based on the performance 
of his duties when Guam was hit by Supertyphoon Pongsona, one of the 
most devastating storms experienced. During the destructive storm, 
David stationed himself in the newsroom, working diligently to keep a 
traumatized community informed. Hourly he provided crucial and updated 
information on the newspaper's Web site.
  When the storm subsided and David was informed of the loss of his 
parent's home, he took up residence in the newsroom for weeks to ensure 
coordinated local coverage. As a team player, David also galvanized 
nonprofit and community-based aid organizations, as well as the 
island's federal emergency management teams, in coordinating newspaper 
coverage in an effort to distribute vital information to a recovering 
community.
  According to his nominator for the award, ``David's editing 
leadership insured news coverage that focused on readers' needs during 
the storm and for weeks after, while the island still was rebuilding 
from the storm's devastation. David more than proved his leadership 
ability during this ordeal.''
   In addition, David is also actively involved in a leadership role 
with newspaper outreach efforts within the community. And recently, 
during the newspaper's planning process, he chaired an instrumental 
inter-department team. It is worth noting that David's award is in 
addition to other key corporate honors bestowed to Pacific Daily News 
staff and executives this year.
   Gannett is an international company with headquarters in McLean, 
Virginia and maintains operations in forty-four states including the 
District of Columbia, Guam, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy and the 
United Kingdom. In terms of circulation, Gannett is considered 
America's largest newspaper group with 100 daily newspapers and a 
combined daily circulation of 7.7 million. In addition of the Pacific 
Daily News, publications include USA Today, the nation's largest-
selling daily newspaper, with a circulation of approximately 2.3 
million and availability in 60 countries worldwide.
   I want to commend David for his hard work and dedication to the 
people of Guam, and to express my sincere congratulations on his 
joining the ranks of 149 other Gannett managers that have been cited 
for outstanding work since the supervisor awards were introduced in 
1994. As a native son of Guam, David serves as a model of success, hard 
work and perseverance for both young and old alike.

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