Stuttering Foundation’s 2011 Journalism Award Winners

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 9, 2011) — The Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, announces its 2011 Awards for Excellence in Journalism today. “Thanks to The King’s Speech, the sheer volume of articles and interviews on stuttering made this year’s choice very difficult,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Foundation. “This film has raised awareness of stuttering beyond any level we could ever have imagined and, in turn, was the force behind all other entries.”

Category: Motion Picture
First Place: The King’s Speech.

Category: Radio
First Place (tie):
- The Emily Rooney Show, WGBH in Boston, Dec. 22, 2010.
- About Our Kids, Doctor Radio Sirius XM, Feb. 11, 2011, Jess Shatkin, MD & Lori Evans, PhD, Program Hosts; Melanie Kron, Producer; Emily Anton, Sound Engineer; and Maurice Tunick, Senior Director Talk Programming

Category: Wire Services
First Place: Lindsey Tanner of the Associated Press, Feb. 4, 2011, “King’s Speech earns praise from kids who stutter.”
Second Place: Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press, Dec. 9, 2010, article titled “Experts on Stuttering Praise The King’s Speech for Highlighting Condition”

Category: Editorial
First Place: Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn., for an editorial on Dec. 28, 2010, titled “A Clear Message.”

Category: National Daily Newspaper Article
First Place: Mary Brophy Marcus of USA Today for her Nov. 28, 2010, article “Stuttering: A Constant Struggle to Get the Words Out.”

Category: Daily Newspaper Article
First Place: Lindy Washburn of The Record for her Dec. 2, 2010, article “Therapists praise new movie for raising awareness of stuttering.”
Second Place: Jim Fussell of the Kansas City Star for his Dec. 23, 2011, article, “'The King's Speech' puts stuttering in the spotlight.”

Category: Magazine Articles
First Place: Tim Appelo of the Hollywood Reporter for his Jan. 25, 2011, article titled “King’s Speech Wins 13th Honor: Stuttering Foundation Gives It ‘A Hero’s Welcome.’”
Second Place: Lynn Allison for “Six Ways to Help Kids Stop Stuttering” in the March 28, 2011, issue of Globe Magazine.

Category: Syndicated Columnists
First Place: Dr. Peter Gott for his national column on April 10, 2011.

Category: Local Television News
First Place (tie):- Ali Gorman of WPVI TV, Philadelphia, Pa., for a Dec. 13, 2010, interview with Joe Donaher of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
- Alex Coleman and Marybeth Conley of WREG TV, Memphis, Tenn., interview with Jane Fraser on Feb. 9, 2011.

Category: National Television News
First Place: 60 Minutes of CBS News for a interview with wildlife conservationist Alan Rabinowitz,.

Category: Internet Blog
First Place: Elizabeth Landau of CNN for her Feb. 28, 2011 article, “The King’s Speech’ a victory for stutterers.”
Second Place: Ian Thornton of shows.ctv.ca for his Feb. 28, 2011, post “George Slays His Dragon.”
Third Place: Kenneth J. Staub for his posting on ASHAsphere (blog.asha.org). His blogs focused on raising stuttering awareness through review of The King’s Speech.

Category: Website
First Place: Ninette Sosa of CNN aired an interview with Stuttering Foundation President Jane Fraser during numerous radio broadcasts.
“Each entry successfully enhanced the public’s understanding of this complex speech disorder during the past year and a half,” said Fraser. “These journalists have done an outstanding job!”

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About the Stuttering FoundationMalcolm Fraser felt the same dread of speaking in public that King George VI experienced in the 1940s. Inspired by the plight of “Bertie,” Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, went on to establish and endow the 64-year-old nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Alan Rabinowitz

Alan Rabinowitz, Ph.D., who passed away in 2018, was an explorer, wildlife conservationist, and author. He established the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve in northern Myanmar, which is about the size of the state of Vermont.

His love for animals began when he was very young.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.