AP, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram consider returning Katie Journalism Awards

***Club's president at the time said awards judging was "confidential," but now entire awards program might be cancelled for 2007.

• "The Press Club of Dallas may have to review the last three years' worth of Katie Awards, one of the Southwest's most prestigious journalism prizes, because of the possibility they were rigged, the club's president said Monday.

The entries for the 2006 Katies apparently never went before judges, and competitions from 2004 and 2005 are being probed, club President Tom Stewart said.

• Stewart said he believes the competitions might have been rigged by the club's former leader, who has won 10 Katies in the past four years and has a criminal record.

The Associated Press is considering returning its Katie Awards if they prove to be tainted, said Dale Leach, the Texas bureau chief.

• Rex Seline, managing editor/news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram , said the newspaper staffers were proud of the work they submitted for consideration. “The journalism still stands. But obviously, the awards are tainted, and we will return them,” Seline said in a story in his own newspaper.

Albanese did not return phone messages or e-mails left by The Associated Press on Monday. But in an interview last week, she said the 2006 Katies were properly judged. She could not produce names, Albanese said, because of confidentiality agreements with the judges."

• Stewart said he was unaware of any such agreements."

• From Dallas Morning News article, 4/25/07, Press Club of Dallas May Review Katie Awards."

And this from November 2006 (part of the period of time in question):

• "The Fort Worth Star-Telegram was named the best major market newspaper for the fourth year in a row at the annual Katie Awards, a multistate competition for the media and communications industry. The Press Club of Dallas announced the winners Saturday night."

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