No rewards for helping prisoners
Call it vanity if you wish, but when I was a young, aggressive broadcast journalist I coveted the title “award-winning” for my news department. As a teenager I aspired to become a good radio news reporter. I had no formal training in the field, so it was up to me to establish and follow my own curriculum. I worked hard at it, and eventually became a respectable and respected newsman. Over time my small-market radio news department became incredibly good and nationally recognized. But, I wanted awards. We never got them. Some radio news departments that were receiving honors were so large they actually had staff members preparing materials for annual award entries. Others had large enough departments to assign team-members to prepare documentaries and investigative features hoping for awards. But, here’s what I’m finally getting. While these award-seekers did their best to get recognition every year, my little team and I were doing our darndest to serv...