The Tom and Pat Gish Award is named for the late couple who published The Mountain Eagle at Whitesburg, Ky., for more than 50 years and became nationally known for their battles with coal operators and politicians, and the firebombing of their office by a Whitesburg policeman.
Roger Smith and Lisa Stayton of The Mountain Citizen accept the Tom and Pat Gish Award from Ben Gish at the 2025 Al Smith Awards Dinner. The Mountain Citizen is a weekly paper serving the 11,000 people of Martin County, along Kentucky’s northeastern border with West Virginia. For decades, the Citizen has been the key watchdog on the local water district, which has long had problems providing clean and adequate supply, and on coal companies and local government.
Past award winners and their affiliations at the time:
- 2025: The Mountain Citizen, Inez, Kentucky
- 2024: Eric Meyer and the Marion County Record, Marion, Kansas
- 2023: Craig Garnett and the Uvalde Leader-News, Uvalde, Texas
- 2022: Ellen Kreth and the Madison County Record of Huntsville, Ark.
- 2021: The Thomas-High Family of The News Reporter and the Border Belt Independent in Whiteville, N.C.
- 2020: The late Tim Crews of the Sacramento Valley Mirror, Calif.
- 2019: Ken Ward Jr. of the Charleston Gazette-Mail; his mentor, the late Paul J. Nyden of the Charleston Gazette; and Howard Berkes, retired from NPR
- 2018: Leslie "Les" Zaitz and the Malheur Enterprise in Vale, Oregon.
- 2017: The Cullen family and the Storm Lake Times in Buena Vista County, Iowa
- 2016: Ivan Foley of The Platte County Landmark in Platte City, Missouri
- 2015: The Trapp Family and the Rio Grande Sun in Española, N.M.
- 2014: The late Landon Wills of the McLean County News in Calhoun, Ky.
- 2012: Jon and Susan Austin of the Yancey County News in Burnsville, N.C
- 2011: Stanley Nelson and the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, La.
- 2010: Samantha Swindler of The Times-Tribune in Corbin, Ky.
- 2008: Former publisher Stanley Dearman and Publisher Jim Prince of The Neshoba Democrat of Philadelphia, Mississippi
- 2007: The Ezzell family, publishers of The Canadian (Tex.) Record
- 2005: Tom and Pat Gish of The Mountain Eagle