Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence

Congratulations Richard Monti!

The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association is proud to present the 2023 Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence to Richard A. Monti, former managing editor and current consultant and board member for Trib Total Media. The Benjamin Franklin Award was established in 1998 to recognize outstanding service that reflects positively on the news media industry in Pennsylvania.

In her nomination letter, Trib Total Media CEO Jennifer Bertetto wrote, “For more than five decades, Rick has been a fixture on the Pennsylvania newspaper scene, mentoring generations of young reporters, passionately guarding journalists’ often-challenged First Amendment rights and fighting to ensure that great writing and solid reporting remain at the forefront of what occurs in our newsrooms every day.”

Continue reading the press release.

2024 Call for Nominations

The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence.

Purpose of the Award

The Benjamin Franklin Award recognizes individuals who have performed an outstanding service to his/her newspaper, to the news media industry in general, to his/her local community, or to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association that reflected positively on the news media industry in Pennsylvania. (Nominees may include news media owners and employees, legislators, community leaders, business leaders, and university/college administrators.)

Award Criteria

The criteria for this award is flexible to accommodate a wide range of circumstances and situations. Some examples would include:

• How well a candidate reacted in times of a natural disaster
• Undertaking a legal battle for his/her newspaper
• Lobbying efforts for a news media cause
• Innovative methods of selling, marketing, or producing newspaper products
• Outstanding community, college, or non-profit service

The work for which the candidate is being nominated should be current within the past one to two years.

Nomination Guidelines

• Nominations must be made in writing with biographical information included, along with any appropriate supporting documents explaining the reasons the nominee should receive the award. Letters from the nominee’s peers and coworkers supporting the nomination may also be included. Please mail, e-mail, or fax nominations to:

Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence
c/o Lisa Strohl
Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association
4000 Crums Mill Rd., Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17112
lisas@pa-news.org

Nominations must be received no later than Friday, June 14, 2024.

• No limitations are placed on the length of information submitted. However, conciseness and clarity are suggested.
• Artistic qualities of the nomination submissions (such as the use of graphics, photographs, etc.) will not be considered in the selection of the award recipient.
• Any staff member of a PNA news media organization may submit a nomination.
• The Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence Selection Committee is comprised of the PNA Executive Committee members.

Past Winners