Excellent Reporting Recognized

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Oct. 1, 2005) — For the 14th year, the Stuttering Foundation recognizes the importance of the media in raising awareness about stuttering and what can be done to help.

The 2005 Media Awards for Excellence go to 10 journalists who successfully enhanced public understanding of this complex speech disorder during the year.

“Print and television journalists have done an outstanding job of focusing on the causes and treatment of stuttering over the past year,” said Jane Fraser, president of the 58-year-old nonprofit foundation. “All entries showed increased sensitivity to a speech disorder that affects millions of people.”

Kim Brown and Leigh Woosley of the Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) earn first place in the large newspapers category for their stories explaining the complexities of stuttering in clear and concise ways. They also provided readers with the tools parents need to help children who stutter.

Nancy Deville of the Tennessean (Nashville, Tenn.) receives second place in the large newspapers category. Deville wrote a poignant story about children who attended a fluency camp to help them manage their stuttering and gain critical self-esteem.

Rose Mary Weitz of the Flint Journal (Flint, Mich.) takes first place in the small newspapers category. Weitz used multiple points of view to present the many phases of stuttering in useful and hopeful ways.

Another Michigan journalist, Tamara Lubic of the Grand Rapids Press is honored for her work. Lubic is the second place winner in the small newspapers category for providing readers with useful information about the different ways people tackle stuttering.

Third place goes to Sharon Emery of the Muskegon Chronicle (Muskegon, Mich.) for a column full of emotion. Emery told a first-hand account of how she became a warrior in her fight to control her stutter.

In the magazines category, Elaine Abrams of Family Doctor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is the winner. Her excellent article zeroed in on what parents can do to help their children if they think they stutter.

Jennifer Mesich of Chicago Parent (Oak Park, Ill.) is honored with second place for explaining some of the most critical ways people can overcome stuttering in young children.

The television award goes to Angela Angelici, executive producer at WHBQ Channel 13 in Memphis, Tenn.

This segment featured anchor Ron Meroney and Jane Fraser giving tips on back-to-school help for children who stutter. Viewers were given many options to help the child who stutters from Web sites to the availability of materials at local libraries.

Jennifer Reingold of Fast Company (New York, N.Y.) receives a special award for chronicling the achievements of Michael Sheehan, who is a top public-relations executive who not only overcame stuttering to become one of the best-known communications experts but also dealt effectively with the effects of a major stroke later in life.

Public relations executive Michael Sheehan received a special Lifetime Achievement Award.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Kenyon Martin

Kenyon Martin, the basketball sensation who was named to the NBA’s All Star Team in 2004, joins other famous people who stutter in a new brochure. The brochure - which unfolds into a small poster - is available free of charge from The Stuttering Foundation.

The poster is intended to give children and adults who stutter inspiration as they grapple with their speech disorder.

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

Winston Churchill

Seeking to "remove Winston Churchill's stutter by second guessing the diagnosis" indicates neither a truthful retelling of history nor an informed opinion about a complex speech disorder, say experts in the field of speech-language pathology.

Recent news reports that quote Dr. John Mather, a Washington physician, as saying that Churchill's stutter "is a lie" brought adamant critical response from specialists in the field of stuttering and fluency disorders.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.