Tim Archuleta
Recipient of the STAR OPINION WRITER OF THE YEAR award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2019)
Tim Archuleta
El Paso Times
Judge’s Comments:
A strong argument could be made for any of these entries as a winner. They are literate, filled with passion as well as compassion, and each one demonstrates an unfailing commitment to the community. It is often the unspeakable tragedy or natural disaster that brings out the best in a newspaper. And so it was with the senseless murder of 22 people at an El Paso Walmart. Tim Archuleta, in clear and elegant opinion writing, called out the hate that was the basis of the killings. But he also defined the conscience and goodness of the people of El Paso as well as that of the sister city in Mexico, Juárez. He called for reasoned discussion on a path forward, and he minced no words in calling to accountability those in leadership who could begin to solve the crisis.
Tony Pederson
Professor and The Belo Foundation Endowed Distinguished Chair in Journalism
Southern Methodist University
Judge’s Bio:
Prior to joining the faculty at SMU, Pederson spent 29 years with the Houston Chronicle. He has received the James Madison Award from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas for his work on First Amendment issues and the Jack Douglas Award from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association for service to Texas newspapers. Pederson serves as a director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Inter American Press Association and is a member of the board of advisers for the International Center for Journalists. He also serves as a consultant for El Universal, the largest newspaper in Mexico City.
Pederson’s teaching at SMU focuses on media ethics, and he has written extensively on the subject and serves as a local resource for media in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He lectures and speaks frequently on mass media issues, especially relating to converging media. In the MLS program, he teaches HUMN 6380: News Media in Contemporary Society.
To read Tim Archuleta’s prize-winning commentary, select from the links below: