MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 20, 2012) — The Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org [1], announced its 2012 Awards for Excellence in Journalism today to celebrate stuttering awareness. 

“Journalists in a variety of settings have done an outstanding job of focusing on stuttering during the past year,” said Jane Fraser, president of the 65-year-old nonprofit foundation. “We are seeing a significant shift in how we reach people - not only through newspapers and columnists but also through websites and blogs. We are particularly excited about increased outreach in Canada and within the Spanish speaking community.”

Category: Internet Blog 
First Place: Bob Greene of CNN for his Feb. 20, 2012 article, “John Glenn’s true hero [2],” featuring former National Stuttering Awareness Week spokesperson, Annie Glenn. One judge wrote, “Emotionally, my absolute favorite was the CNN piece on John and Annie Glenn. It choked me up.”

Category: Website
First Place: Dennis Thompson of HealthDay for his May 27, 2011 article, “Early Intervention Holds Hope for Those Who Stutter [3].” This objective article addresses the physical, mental and emotional components of speech while at the same time offering hope to parents.

Category: Daily Newspapers
First Place (tie):
- Kathleen Mitchell of Business West for her May 10, 2011 article, “In Manner of Speaking [4].” The article looks at the causes of stuttering, what adults can do to help children who stutter, and why unrealistic expectations and a fast-paced lifestyle can make the situation worse.

- Aldo Santin of Winnipeg Free Press for his August 6, 2011 article, “Randy Bachman’s You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet [5] singled out by The Stuttering Foundation [5].” The article focuses on the stuttering connection in the story behind the Bachman-Turner Overdrive classic that hit the top of the charts over 25 years ago and opened up an extraordinary new audience to the Foundation.

Category: Spanish Newspaper
First Place: Pedro F. Frisneda of El Diario for his October 21, 2011 article, “El tartamudeo se puede vencer [6].” This powerful article introduced accurate information on stuttering to the Spanish speaking community, while offering helpful tips to parents.

Category: Syndicated Columnists
First Place: Dr. Paul Donohue for his national column on May 3, 2011, “Evaluate child early for stuttering. [7]” This widely read column encourages parents to seek early intervention and to gather accurate information and obtain professional help for children who have begun to stutter. Dr. Donohue’s column is well-known for its reliability; therefore, it is particularly exciting that he focused on stuttering.

The Stuttering Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Memphis, Tenn., that has worked toward the prevention and improved treatment of stuttering since 1947.  For more information, call 800-992-9392 [8] or visit www.StutteringHelp.org [1]