6 11
Tri-State Convention highlights: A welcome return to normal
Guest Column:
The Spirit of ’76: Protecting us against the Putin playbook
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly
By Ken Paulson
Vol.17 | No. 26 | Thursday, June 30, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Madison County Record, The Leader snag top prizes The Madison County Record and David Scolli of The Leader took home two of APA’s top prizes at the Tri-State Convention last week in Memphis. Ellen Kreth, publisher of The Madison County Record in Huntsville, along with Shannon Hahn, general manager, and Celia Kreth, summer reporter, received the Arkansas Press Association I.F. Stone Award for Investigative Journalism. Their investigation of the on-going Huntsville School District sex abuse case and coverup topped the field this year. “We know the great work done by so many newspapers in this state, so we were very humbled to not only be in their company but to receive the award,” Ellen Kreth said. “This was such a sensitive and complex ongoing story that we were honored to be recognized for our reporting and our investigations into the alleged abuse and the way the allegations were improperly handled by the school district.” Over the course of the investigation, The Record reported that the local school board members sought to conceal not only the sexual assault allegations but also their decision to reduce the recommended punishment for some students, and to rescind punishment for others. The newspaper began its investigation into a cover-up of sexual assaults by boys on the Huntsville Junior High basketball team after concerned parents, fearing that the school district would not be transparent in its own review of the matter, shared Title IX documents with the staff. The Record filed Freedom of Information Act requests for documents to determine
The Madison County Record’s Ellen Kreth (far right), Shannon Hahn (center) and Celia Kreth (not pictured) won the I.F. Stone Award, which recognizes extraordinary investigative reporting of governmental wrongdoing, for its series on Title IX and the Huntsville School District. The award was presented by APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley (far left)
the timeline of events, report on the board’s actions and uncover conflicts of interest. Over time, relationships with sources were built, and on- and off-therecord interviews were conducted with many of those involved in the story. The newspaper also reported on the district’s failure to call the Child Abuse Hotline immediately, as required by law, and its multiple open meetings violations under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
The school district fought the newspaper, publicly criticizing editorial decisions and the credibility of the reporting. When the school board additionally failed to provide notice of meetings as required by the Arkansas FOIA, a parent sued the district
for open meetings violations and won. The district also filed a motion for a gag order, but The Record hired legal counsel to intervene in the case and received a favorable ruling, allowing those involved in the lawsuit to continue to speak to reporters.
The newspaper continued to report on the incident despite public backlash and loss of advertising. The Huntsville School District ultimately admitted several FOIA violations and was ordered to undergo FOIA training. “We knew the story would have a strong reaction in the community,” Kreth said, “but we didn’t know which way it would go, i.e., whether or not the community would
Continued on Page 2