Journal-World honored for going ‘above and beyond’ in reporting

Work in pursuing government records lauded

The Lawrence Journal-World was honored Wednesday for its pursuit of government information that better informs the public.

The Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government presented the Journal-World with its inaugural “Above and Beyond” award, citing the newspaper for public-interest stories that included disclosure of an athletic director’s taxpayer-funded salary and opened 911 records after a deadly police chase.

“Above and beyond doesn’t quite cover it,” said Randy Brown, executive director of the coalition. “The Journal-World should be an inspiration for open government initiatives by every media outlet and citizens throughout the state.”

The coalition, composed of media professors, attorneys and other professionals, created the award after deciding that the newspaper deserved a special citation, Brown said during a Wednesday ceremony at the Journal-World offices.

Brown said the award is intended to fuel investigative and in-depth reporting by the media around the state, adding that the spirit of such reporting isn’t to tout newspapers, but to inform taxpayers how their money is spent.

Lawrence Journal-World editor Dolph C. Simons Jr., right, accepts the Above and Beyond Award from the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government. Also at the ceremony Wednesday at the News Center, 645 N.H., are, from left, Randy Brown, executive director of the Sunshine Coalition, and Ron Keefover, education information officer with the Kansas Supreme Court.

“We would like to give it every year,” Brown said. “Open government is for the people.”

Dolph C. Simons Jr., Journal-World editor and chairman of The World Company, accepted the award on behalf of the entire organization, including World Online and Sunflower Broadband, which produces 6News.

Simons said the company’s duty is to help inform the community about the workings of government – an essential job that, even if not liked, should be respected.

“We shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously,” Simons said, “but we should take the job we do seriously.”