Rex Nelson tapped for journalism award

Arkansas Press Association | Paid News Distribution Service

The Arkansas Press Association will hold its second Press Freedom Gala on Thursday, Oct. 12 at the Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. The evening will begin with an hors d’oeuvres reception at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner and the program at 7 p.m.

“The Press Freedom Gala is a celebration of both a free press and of individuals who brought positive headlines to Arkansas and either work within or are strong supporters of the media industry and FOIA,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley.

Those to be honored include:

• APA Headliner of the Year — musician and songwriter Justin Moore.

• APA Distinguished Service Award — Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Senior Editor and Columnist Rex Nelson.

• APA Distinguished Service Award — longtime journalist and recently retired editor of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Rusty Turner.

• Golden 50 Service Award (more than 50 years in the newspaper industry) — Independent Columnist and Correspondent for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Mike Masterson.

• APA Freedom of Information Award – presented posthumously to Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller for his signing of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act into law in 1967. The award will be accepted by Rockefeller’s family, including William Rockefeller and Winthrop P. Rockefeller, Jr.

A native of Poyen, Moore won Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist at the 2012 American Country Awards and New Artist of the Year at the 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards. He has charted 21 times on the Billboard Country Hot 100 and Country Airplay charts, including his current number 1 hit with Priscilla Block, “You, Me & Whiskey,” the number 1 singles “Small Town USA”, “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”, “Til My Last Day,” “Lettin’ the Night Roll,” “You Look Like I Need a Drink,” “Somebody Else Will, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” “Why We Drink,” “We Didn’t Have Much,” and “With a Woman You Love”, and the top 10 hits “Backwoods,” “Point at You,”and “Small Town Throwdown” with Brantley Gilbert. “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” also won Mainstream Inspirational Country Song and Inspirational Video at the 2011 Inspirational Country Music Awards. His seventh album, Stray Dog, was released in May of this year.

Nelson is a college sports broadcaster, columnist, reporter, author, political appointee, and chronicler of Arkansas history. A native of Arkadelphia, he graduated summa cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University in 1982 receiving a B.A. in Mass Communications. Nelson was inducted into the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and was named Rural Advocate of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2016 by Governor Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Rural Development Commission.

Distinguished Service Award recipient Turner worked as a sportswriter, news reporter and editor at various publications in Northwest Arkansas for many decades. A 1983 graduate of the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism at the University of Arkansas, he worked at the The Arkansas Traveler student newspaper then later at the Springdale Morning News and the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette until his recent retirement. Turner also served two years as President of the APA Board of Directors and has been instrumental in lobbying efforts to protect the state’s Freedom of Information Act laws.

Harrison native Masterson will be honored for his service to the newspaper industry for more than 50 years. His award-winning investigative journalism career has often involved critical (and even dangerous) work, providing a voice for the underdog and the unrepresented or uncovering information that resulted in the freeing of persons imprisoned by crimes they didn’t commit. For the past 23 years, he has written three personal-opinion columns a week for the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette.

Former Arkansas Razorback linebacker and radio personality David Bazzel will serve as the master of ceremonies. American Idol finalist Marybeth Byrd will provide entertainment.