Skip to content
  • — DONATE NOW —
  • Like it? Steal it
  • IowaWatch
  • IowaWatch
  • About IowaWatch’s role with Investigate Midwest
  • Contact Us
  • Global Navigation
    • — DONATE NOW —
    • Like it? Steal it

IowaWatch - Part of The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

IowaWatch (https://www.iowawatch.org/2017/10/05/iowawatch-iowa-freedom-of-information-council-honor-open-government-advocates-at-2017-banquet/)

  • About IowaWatch’s role with Investigate Midwest
  • Contact Us
  • Don't Miss
  • The IowaWatch Connection radio program archives
  • News about IowaWatch 2010-2022
  • Databases
government transparency

IowaWatch, Iowa Freedom of Information Council Honor Open Government Advocates At 2017 Banquet

By Sarah Fields | October 5, 2017
LikeTweet EmailPrint More
  • More on government transparency
  • Subscribe to government transparency

Mariah Prendergast/IowaWatch

Scene from the 2017 annual Celebrating a Free Press and Open Government Banquet in Des Moines. On the far right is former Des Moines Register reporter Jennifer Jacobs, now of Bloomberg Politics, and the 2017 main speaker.

Mariah Prendergast/IowaWatch

Iowa Freedom of Information Council executive director Randy Evans (right), with IowaWatch executive director-editor Lyle Muller, receiving the 2017 Stephen Berry Free Press Champion Award.

IowaWatch honored an outstanding journalist and a long-time advocate for newspapers during its fifth annual banquet Thursday night, October 5, at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.

Randy Evans was given the Stephen Berry Free Press Champion Award for a working journalist, journalism group or journalism educator in Iowa. Chris Mudge was given the Randy Brubaker Free Press Champion Award for an Iowan who has done significant open records work over several years in a role other than journalism.

Evans is the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council after a long-time career The Des Moines Register in positions that included opinion page editor and state editor. His work helping the Cullen family at the Storm Lake Times obtain public records related to a legal dispute over farm run-off in was instrumental in Times reporting that eventually led to the newspaper’s Art Cullen winning a Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing this year.

Mariah Prendergast/IowaWatch

Retired Iowa Newspaper Association executive director Chris Mudge (right), receiving the 2017 Randy Brubaker Free Press Champion Award.

Evans continues to write a column, “Stray Thoughts,” while juggling several open government issues and building membership in the Iowa Freedom of Information Council.

Chris Mudge retired in 2015 after serving in several roles at the Iowa Newspaper Association, ending as executive director. The association represents 300 Iowa newspapers.

While at the INA she was a lead lobbying voice at the Iowa Statehouse for issues of open, transparent government and active in the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, serving as a trustee and member of the executive committee.

Mariah Prendergast/IowaWatch

Iowa Freedom of Information Council Executive Director-Editor Randy Evans gives Iowa Cubs owner and long-time journalist Michael Gartner a Harrison “Skip” Weber Award on Oct. 5, 2017, in Des Moines.

 

The Iowa Freedom of Information also presented at the banquet two annual Harrison “Skip” Weber Friend of the First Amendment Awards at the banquet, to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Iowa Cubs owner and former newspaper executive Michael Gartner and Associated Press reporter Ryan Foley.

The banquet’s guest speaker was Jennifer Jacobs, White House correspondent for Bloomberg Politics.

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan, investigative news service that does investigative and community affairs journalism in collaboration with other media and trains college student journalists to do this kind of reporting at a high level. The center was incorporated as a non-profit in February 2010.

Associated Press reporter Ryan Foley.

Mariah Prendergast/IowaWatch

Bloomberg Politics White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, delivering the main address at the annual Celebrating a Free Press and Open Government banquet in Des Moines on Oct. 5, 2017.

 

 

LikeTweet EmailPrint More
  • More on government transparency
  • Subscribe to government transparency
Tags
  • Center News
  • Bill Monroe
  • Chris Mudge
  • First Amendment
  • government transparency
  • Iowa Freedom of Information Council
  • Iowa Newspaper Association
  • Jennifer Jacobs
  • Michael Gartner
  • Open government
  • Randy Evans
  • Ryan Foley

Read Next

  • List of recipients of Berry, Brubaker awards

    STEPHEN BERRY FREE PRESS CHAMPIONS

    (For current journalist or journalism educator)

    2021: Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch

    2020: No awards due to COVID-19 pandemic

    2019: Carol Hunter, Des Moines Register

    2018: Herb Strentz, Drake University

    2017: Randy Evans, Iowa Freedom of information Council

    2016: Clark Kauffman, Des Moines Register

    2015: Mary Mason and Jim Compton, The Spotlight (Muscatine, IA)

    2014: Brian Cooper, The Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA)

    2013: Kathleen Richardson, Iowa Freedom of Information Council and Drake University

    RANDY BRUBAKER FREE PRESS CHAMPIONS

    (For attention to free press principles outside of journalism)

    2021: Polly Carver-Kimm, former spokesperson for Iowa Department of Public Health

    2020: No awards due to COVID-19 pandemic

    2019: Margaret Johnson, Iowa Public Information board executive director

    2018: Bill Monroe, Iowa Newspaper Association

    2017: Chris Mudge, Iowa Newspaper Association

    2016: Harold Hammond (post-humously)

    2015: Keith Luchtel, first Iowa Public Information Board executive director, governor’s open government liaison, long-time media lobbyist

    2014: Michael Gartner, Iowa Cubs president

    2013: State Sen. Pam Jochum, Dubuque

Previous Story
Troubled Water: A News21 Documentary
Next Story
How Undocumented Immigrants Became The Backbone Of Dairies — And How To Keep The Milk Flowing In America's Dairyland
  • IowaWatch
  • Donate
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Staff & Contributors
  • Ethics & Accuracy
  • Work With Us
  • Our Supporters

Search This Site

Browse Archives

© Copyright 2023, Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism

IowaWatch is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News

Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Back to top ↑