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We’re seeking nominees who:
1) Care deeply about the work, the people we’re reporting on and the reporter.
As one Providence Journal reporter said, “I can’t imagine this award going to an editor who didn’t care as much as Mimi did. The depth of her caring is so rare. She was a total tigress. She fought for you. She would stand up for the good story and the reporter. To have those two qualities means so much. … Mimi would stay up all night with you working on a story.”
2) Have a real passion for the "Act II journalism" championed by the Dart Center, and a keen understanding of how to navigate the emotional landscape where these stories are found.
Mimi had a special place in her heart for work on sexual assault, domestic violence, violence against women and the stories of people affected by tragedies such as the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island. She connected with the subjects, cared for them and about them and for their families as well. She kept them in mind as if she knew them personally, even though she rarely did, throughout the reporting and editing process.
3) Challenge reporters to do better and nurture them along the way, forcing them to see possibilities for a story they may not have seen. This type of editor is acutely aware that even a small story may mean as much to a reporter’s development as the big stories the paper is pursuing.
4) Have a deep respect for the English language and the ability to help reporters write crisp, gripping prose and well-structured, meaningful stories that get it right. This type of editor has a sharp eye for details and is highly skilled at identifying flaws, holes and ambiguities in writing.
5) Make the work of their reporters better, without imposing their own writing style on the reporters’ work.
6) Respond with empathy as reporters are out in the field dealing with victims of tragedy and understand that reporting such stories and interviewing such individuals may require reporters to do their work differently than they otherwise would. Such editors know when to tell their reporters to take a break from the story and focus on themselves.
7) Fight to get reporters the time and space they need for truly important stories.
8) Have a personal involvement with the story, as if their name is going on it, but are not seeking the glory for the work.
Please keep in mind while nominating and choosing a winner:
This award recognizes superb editors throughout the United States. This award will go to one person each year who is really devoted to the principles the Dart Society upholds. Editors who are nominated should be working actively in an editing capacity at a print newspaper or its online edition, or for an online publication.
While this award honors the memory of a remarkable woman, the qualities Mimi Burkhardt embodied as an editor are found in men as well.
There are excellent editors in newsrooms of all sizes. This award recognizes that reality. There is great journalism done at big, well-known news organizations. But some of the best journalism in the country is done in smaller places, where reporters learn the craft with the strong mentoring of editors like Mimi. The nomination process allows reporters to recognize those editors who have helped them along the way, regardless of where they were found.
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