OXFORD Miss. – To earn a prestigious Silver Em award from the
University of Mississippi Department of Journalism, one must either be
a Mississippi native who has excelled in news outside of the state or a
Mississippi-based journalist who has left a mark on the Magnolia State.
In Ronnie Agnew, the selection committee found both.
Agnew, a Saltillo native, is executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger in
Jackson, and on Nov. 6 becomes the latest recipient of the Silver Em
Award. The 7:15 p.m. banquet in Johnson Commons Ballroom is to be
preceded by a 6 p.m. reception in the conference room of the Overby
Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. Tickets are available for
$35. Call 662-915-7147.
“The beauty of choosing Ronnie is that he is both a Mississippian and he’s excelled in journalism in the state of Mississippi,” said Samir Husni, journalism chair. “He is at the highest position at the state’s largest newspaper, and he’s sort of become the spokesman of Mississippi journalism nationwide through his speeches. It’s a well-deserved honor, not just for his contributions to the state but nationwide and to the university.”
When Husni called to inform Agnew of the award, he was at a loss for words.
“When you look at the previous recipients, how could I not be speechless?” Agnew said. “And I’m not just talking about the people who got Pulitzer Prizes and other awards, but the people who put out excellent newspapers every day. To be included in this group is just phenomenal.”
Agnew has ties with several past recipients: John Emmerich Jr. gave him his first job out of college at The Greenwood Commonwealth and mentored him throughout his career. Bob Gordon preceded Agnew as managing editor at The Clarion-Ledger. “And I studied under Dr. Jere Hoar and S. Gale Denley,” Agnew said. “I look at this list and I’m in awe of being included.”
Before joining The Clarion-Ledger as managing editor in February 2001, Agnew was editor of the Dothan (Ala.) Eagle, where he also supervised four other daily and weekly newspapers. Other career stops included The Cincinnati Enquirer and a stint as managing editor at The Hattiesburg American. Agnew is also an alumnus of the Maynard Management Institute at Northwestern University, where he developed the skills for his current job as executive editor, including a focus on diversity.
“The emphasis placed on diversity made me understand it was OK to bring your viewpoints to the table and, in fact, we should do it,” Agnew told the Maynard Institute Web site in 2007. “If your race helps you bring new ideas to the table and make your newspaper a better place, then you should bring it. You need various viewpoints around the table including age, gender, even religion I think, because we’re becoming a world of different voices.”
In senior management, Agnew has been on the front lines of turmoil in the newspaper industry, which includes declining ad revenue, layoffs and competition from digital media. Yet he keeps his focus on providing what he sees as the key to newspaper survival.
“The one thing that won’t change is the demand for local news,” Agnew said. “Who’s going to cover the local football teams or science fairs? There’s an insatiable desire for local news, and I like our approach. We’ve launched new Web sites and other ventures. We’re not giving up.”
All of which speaks to Agnew’s larger vision – providing a valuable service to his readers.
“The approach we take is we try to help people,” he said. “We have to do watchdog journalism. We want to hold our public officials accountable and give people the information they need to be able to cope with their lives and make sound decisions. That’s why we do what we do. It would be boring if I just came in here for a check.”
That passion for journalism helped make Agnew almost a no-brainer for the Silver Em selection committee.
“Every year we have a lot of nominees, and we’re blessed that the well is full of names,” Husni said. “This year was a very easy choice for the committee. It is a well-deserved award. He’s earned it.”
The Silver Em has been awarded annually since 1958. Among the winners are the late Turner Catledge, a Neshoba County native who went on to become managing editor of The New York Times; Bill Minor, a figure in Mississippi journalism for 60 years; Jack Nelson, former Washington bureau chief of The Los Angeles Times; William Raspberry, former columnist for The Washington Post; and Rheta Grimsley-Johnson, an award-winning reporter and columnist.
For more information or to request assistance related to a disability, contact Julie Baker at the UM Department of Journalism, 662-915-7147.