Salem News Editorial Page Editor Nelson Benton has been honored with a Yankee Quill Award for his contributions to the betterment of journalism in the region.
The award is presented annually by the Academy of New England Journalists through the auspices of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors. It is considered the highest individual honor awarded by fellow journalists in the region.
Benton was hired as a reporter at The Salem News in 1972. He has served as city editor and managing editor and became editorial page editor in 1995.
Benton's work has been recognized by the New England Press Association, the New England Associated Press News Executives Association and the New England News Association, among others.
For the past quarter-century, he has written a weekly political column that is a must-read among both the elected and the electorate.
For the past 20 years, he has overseen the Salem News Student-Athlete Award, a yearly highlight for local high school seniors.
In the past year he has launched an editorial writers' blog on the paper's Web site, salemnews.com, and moderated its first online debate.
Other honorees this year include John Howe, editor and general manager of The Citizen in Laconia, N.H., and Al Larkin, recently retired executive vice president of The Boston Globe. A posthumous award will be made to Ann Smith Franklin, one of the nation's first woman printers and editors.
