Former USA Today Editor Peter S. Prichard to Receive 2014 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Veteran journalist Peter S. Prichard, former editor of USA Today and former president of the Newseum, is the recipient of the 2014 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media, to be presented Oct. 9, 2014, at the University of South Dakota, Neuharth's alma mater.

The award, which honors lifetime achievement in media, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. CT, Thursday, Oct. 9, as part of a daylong celebration at the university campus in Vermillion, S.D. The presentation event, to be held in the auditorium of the Al Neuharth Media Center on the campus, will be the first Neuharth Award event on the campus following 2013 death of Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today, the Newseum and the Freedom Forum.

"Peter Prichard provided signal leadership at the nation's first national newspaper and at the Newseum, the museum of news in Washington, D.C., two of the major projects in Al Neuharth's storied career," said Gene Policinski, chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute, which presents the award. "Peter added immensely to the success of each, and continues to help the Newseum be responsive to the continued changes in how news is gathered and reported."

Prichard served as president of the Newseum and Freedom Forum until January 2009, and currently is chair of the Newseum board of trustees. He was editor-in-chief of USA Today, the nation's largest-circulation newspaper, from 1988 to 1995, longer than any other editor. During his tenure, USA Today won several national journalism awards, and its circulation increased from 1.4 million to 2.3 million.

Prichard retired from the Freedom Forum in 2010. He is a trustee and former chair of Guest Services, Inc., a diversified hospitality and wholesale produce company based in Fairfax, Va. He also serves as chair of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Conn. He is a former chair of the National Press Foundation, which provides continuing education for journalists, and also a former chair of Jesuit Volunteers International, which places young volunteers in developing nations to help the poor. He and his wife, Ann, a former book reviewer, live in Essex. They have two children and five grandchildren.

Since the first award, presented in 1989 to Walter Cronkite, 23 leaders (complete list) in media have been selected for the honor.

About the Newseum Institute and the Newseum
The Newseum Institute, which presents the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Media, provides a forum for educational programs and thought-leadership initiatives, as well as educational materials addressing the five freedoms of the First Amendment: speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.

One of the top attractions in Washington, D.C., the Newseum's 250,000-square-foot news museum offers visitors a state-of-the-art experience that blends news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum Institute serves as a forum for First Amendment study, exploration and education. The Newseum is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Freedom Forum.

About the Al Neuharth Media Center and the University of South Dakota
The Al Neuharth Media Center on the University of South Dakota campus was dedicated in 2003 and is home to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, the USD Department of Media and Journalism, and all USD student media, including student-edited newspaper, The Volante, and its online news site.

Named "one of America's best colleges" by The Princeton Review, the University of South Dakota is designated as the only public liberal arts university in the state and is home to a comprehensive College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, the state's only School of Law, School of Medicine, the accredited Beacom School of Business and the College of Fine Arts.

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SOURCE Newseum Institute