AP Managing Editors give Kentucky's big papers 1st Amendment, public-service awards

The Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader are among recipients of awards announce yesterday by the Associated Press Managing Editors. The Herald-Leader won a Public Service Award for its recent series of reports on appointed government boards and local-government lobbying and service groups, while the Louisville paper won a First Amendment Award for its successful seven-year fight to reveal donors to the University of Louisville Foundation.

"The legal battle between the newspaper and the university began in 2001 after the paper requested the names of people who donated to the university's McConnell Center, which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., helped found," Emilu Udell writes for The C-J. "The foundation argued that it was not a public agency and so was not subject to the Kentucky Open Records Act." (Read more)

"The Herald-Leader won the Public Service Award given to newspapers with a circulation of 40,000 to 150,000," the paper and AP report. The paper's "It's Your Money" series "has examined spending at Blue Grass Airport, the Lexington Public Library, Kentucky League of Cities and Kentucky Association of Counties. The stories revealed that the groups had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on questionable travel, meals and other expenses. After the initial airport stories appeared, the director of the airport resigned, as did several top members of his staff." (Read more)

For the full list of winners, from APME, click here.