PRESENTATION OF
THE JOHN CHANCELLOR AWARD
FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM

IRA A. LIPMAN
FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN
GUARDSMARK, LLC

LOW LIBRARY
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK

NOVEMBER 12, 2014

IN 1957 THE ARKANSAS NATIONAL GUARD WAS CALLED OUT TO PREVENT AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN FROM ENTERING CENTRAL HIGH IN LITTLE ROCK. TO COVER THE EVENT, NBC SENT A YOUNG JOURNALIST NAMED JOHN CHANCELLOR. I BECAME A SOURCE FOR JOHN CHANCELLOR ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT CENTRAL HIGH.
JOHN CHANCELLOR WAS MY INSURANCE POLICY, MY PROTECTION, AGAINST THE WORLD’S INJUSTICES. THROUGH HIS REPORTING, JOHN CHANCELLOR DISPELLED LIES AND IGNORANCE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE NEW AGE OF TELEVISION JOURNALISM ENABLED THE WORLD TO SEE THE UGLINESS OF RACIAL HATRED. AND THE RESULT WAS A GREAT ADVANCE FOR THE CAUSE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
INFLUENCE TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN, NOT JUST FOR A FEW, BUT FOR MILLIONS OR EVEN BILLIONS. BUT IT TAKES COURAGE, CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY. JOHN CHANCELLOR HAD THAT COURAGE. MARTIN SMITH DOES, TOO.
JOHN CHANCELLOR IS MY HERO. HE WAS MY HERO AT AGE 16 IN LITTLE ROCK, AND HE IS STILL MY HERO BECAUSE HE REPRESENTED THE TRUTH. WHEN HE AGREED TO PERMIT US TO ESTABLISH THE JOHN CHANCELLOR AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM, HE ENVISIONED REWARDING THE KIND OF JOURNALISM THAT WOULD SAY TO SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS – THIS IS THE SORT OF WORK TO WHICH WE SHOULD DEDICATE OUR LIVES. MARTIN SMITH’S WORK MEETS THAT TEST.
OUR ADMIRATION AND GRATITUDE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO JOURNALISM AND TO SOCIETY.
IN TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE WORK OF JOHN CHANCELLOR, I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT MARTIN SMITH WITH THE JOHN CHANCELLOR MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AND A CHECK FOR $25,000. MARTIN, WOULD YOU COME FORWARD TO ACCEPT THE AWARD.
IAL stays at podium and reads the official citation.
MARTIN SMITH, YOU EXEMPLIFY THE COURAGE, INTEGRITY, CURIOSITY
AND INTELLIGENCE THAT EPITOMIZE THE ROLE OF JOURNALISM IN A FREE
SOCIETY. WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT YOU WITH THIS JOHN CHANCELLOR
AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM.
After reading the citation, IAL faces Smith and places the medal around Smith’s neck.
IAL returns to his chair on the dais.