Three years ago, I wrote a post called “Editors Often Left out of Journalism Awards Bonanza.” Another awards season is upon us, and the situation is pretty much the same.
Kudos to PRNDI for trying to change things with its first-ever Editor of the Year Award. Nominations are due TOMORROW (April 14) at noon. If you know a great editor, a nomination is the perfect – and let’s face it, pretty much the only – way to send some recognition his or her way.
As I wrote in my 2014 post, it’s important to recognize editors partly because upper management loves awards. If editors can bring home a little hardware, it may bolster the argument that it’s worth investing in editorial capacity.
It’s also important to recognize editors because they work really hard, and they care. A lot.
I’ll admit this is personal for me. I’ve been an editor for a decade, and I can say that nothing is more satisfying than a reporter thanking me for my role in a story. And they often do! That’s better than any award.
Still, it is nice to get a little acknowledgement around awards time, and it rarely happens. As an independent editor, I work with reporters remotely now, so I often don’t even know when a piece I’ve edited has won an award. I found out just last November about an award for a story I’d edited more than two years prior! This is not an isolated incident, and it makes me sad – for myself and for editors everywhere.
So if you win an award this year and you were lucky enough to work with a good editor, say thanks. Buy them some chocolates or coffee. Tag them on social media. Maybe even nominate them for Editor of the Year.
Editors don’t do it for the glory, but a little nod goes a long way.
Scribbles and Scruples 