Orland Park Patch in Running for a Lisagor Award

The first journalism award ceremony I attended was in a very large room.

There was passion in that brightly lit, chatter-filled room in fall 2007, and a determination to keep moving forward. Even though signs became more apparent that news media as we knew it then was going through a full-on depression, the people there were ready for a fight.

In 2008, it was a diametrically different event.

The room, a fraction of the size, was dark and quiet. That year, people were just lamenting sadly at the journalism world of before.

On Friday, I will be going, along with Patch reporter/contributor Jesse Marx, to the 35th Annual Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, and I am very proud to be going as a Patch editor.

Working in a role where innovation and ownership are part of the job description has been among the most challenging and rewarding roles of my career. To have an opportunity to act on the many ideas we and others have for changing the way local news is reported, presented and received is a blessing, especially when our economy has plenty of recovery left to go.

One of our main responsibilities is to learn what’s on the minds of people who live here. I still have a ton to learn, but one thing was clear from early on: everyone has a . Whether for or against the effort and the plans, Orland Park residents have something to say about it even now. That’s why we put as much time and effort into it, and continue to do so. Look for more stories on it soon.

Without your feedback, input and participation there is no way we could have achieved this industry recognition, and I thank all of you for that.

The media landscape is still changing rapidly, and we are working not just to keep up with it, but to cultivate it as well. We have a long way to go, and as we move forward, tell us what you think. Your feedback helped us get here, and thanks again.

Along the way, make sure you check out . His nod by the awards committee is much deserved.

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