Golden Press Cards travel south

The staff of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press and WTVC-TV won the Golden Press Card for work printed or broadcast during 1999, the first year that two top awards were presented.

The Times-Free Press was recognized for its series, "The Big Fix"; and John Pless and Richard Simms of WTVC-TV won for "Smoky Mountain Pollution."

WBIR-TV's Bill Williams and Doug Edlund won the Horace V. Wells Community Service Award for "Mission of Hope."

The complete list of awards is available at Golden Press Card Winners.

Adina Chumley, chair of this year's event, presented the awards on April 28 at the Foundry. Keynote speaker was Tony Snow.

Campaign of ideas ahead, Snow says

“The best days in politics are still ahead,” Tony Snow told the audience at the Golden Press Card awards program Friday night.
Snow, the keynote speaker, talked about Bill Clinton, Al Gore, George Bush and George W. Bush, among others, and the politics of this election year.

The irony is that both candidates, Gore and Bush, are trying to escape the legacy of the past. Gore is trying to escape Clinton, and Bush is trying to escape Newt Gingrich, Snow said.

Earth in the Balance

He called Gore a “practical liar, but not an accomplished liar” in discussing fundraising at the Buddhist temple. He questioned how Gore could have not known he was at the temple when the people were wearing robes, burning incense and ringing temple bells.
Gore’s book, Earth in the Balance, is one of the most “vividly crazy books I’ve read in my life,” Snow said. He drew parallels between Gore’s book and the Unabomber’s Manifesto, saying that they contained similar arguments.

Gore came to the conclusion that saving a few lives from cancer was not worth the risk to the environment from cutting down yew trees containing taxol, a substance used in treating ovarian cancer, according to Snow.

“Gore is an inspiration to sufferers of Dutch elm disease,” Snow added.

Newt’s ghost

Bush must chase away Gingrich’s ghost. Gingrich is a man “who never had unspoken thoughts,” Snow said. Bush must also overcome the perception that his father did not fight for anything.

Snow, who served as the head speechwriter for President Bush, talked about how Bush never completed a sentence and how he would stop to take a breath between syllables of a word. It made writing for him difficult. “George W. inherited his mother’s fighting spirit and his father’s syntax,” Snow said.

“Do you know about George W.’s dope problem?” Snow asked. “People think he’s a dope. That’s his dope problem.” He explained that Bush must find a way to convince people that he is a man of intellectual substance. The bad news for Bush is that he is surrounded by guys who believe the polls.

Brand X

Gore is a hard worker who comes prepared. “He’s a harder worker than George W.,” Snow said.

Bush is Brand X in this year’s race, just as Bill Clinton was Brand X when he ran. No one really knew about him.

Snow predicted that this year’s presidential campaign will be more a campaign of ideas than any of us can imagine. One issue that people should watch for is what Snow termed “class warfare” brought about because the tax code segregates people into those who pay and those who don’t.

Another issue is race. “Something I give a big damn about,” Snow said. Young people don’t think it’s as big a deal as it used to be. Government policy, particularly EEO, is being used to create racial strife.

A third issue to watch is technological revolution. Snow suggested keeping an eye on the biotech industry. In referring to corporate involvement in the human genome project, Snow asked, “What does it mean to own the genome project?” He doesn’t have the answer.
The biggest problem is“preserving human dignity,” Snow remarked.

Surgeon general

“What does the surgeon general do?” Snow asked the audience.
Hearing no response, he replied,”He talks about cigarettes. He talks about condoms. He wears a uniform stolen from the Love Boat.”

New York Senate race

“The New York Senate race is going to be fun. It’s a shame someone has to win,” Snow said.

Hillary Clinton, who was a Chicago Cubs fan only two years ago, is now claiming to be a New Yorker. “She is not creating new friends,” he said, “but she has a good team.”

Rudy Giuliani’s cancer is easily operable, Snow reported, so Rudy is still in. Giuliani reminds Snow of Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, the villain in The Silence of the Lambs.

Following his talk, Snow answered questions from the audience, particularly about a possible running mate for Bush. Although unlikely she will do so, if Colin Powell’s wife would agree to let him run as a vice presidential candidate, Bush would win easily, Snow predicted.

What's next? Follies, of course

The 22nd annual Front Page Follies, a spoof of area news and newsmakers, is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at the Radisson Hotel on Summit Hill Drive. Bobby Denton of WIVK is the honoree.
A cocktail hour will begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7:30 and the show at 8:30.

Alan Carmichael is chair of this year’s event. David Lauver is once again writing the skits, and Carol Zinovage has returned as music director.

Tickets are $50 each and must be purchased before May 12. Pre-seated tables of 10 are $500. Please send reservations to Karen Bridgeman at P.O. Box 6702, Oak Ridge, Tenn., 37831-6702.

Money raised from the Follies and the auction helps provide scholarships for journalism students at the University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Technical Community College.