The Florida Bar’s Media & Communications Law Committee presents the Parker Thomson Awards for Outstanding Legal Journalism in Florida and the Susan Spencer-Wendel Lifetime Achievement Award.
Susan Spencer-Wendel Lifetime Achievement Award
The Spencer-Wendel Lifetime Achievement Award honors a retired or working journalist who has written or reported extensively in an outstanding fashion to educate citizens on the system of law and justice as it affects the people of Florida. Spencer-Wendel was a veteran Palm Beach Post courts reporter who died in 2014 after a well-documented fight with ALS. She received a lifetime achievement award from The Florida Bar’s Media & Communications Law Committee in 2012 and numerous other media awards throughout her career.
The award recipient will receive a cash prize of $500, a plaque and travel reimbursement to attend the awards ceremony. A reporter who chooses not to accept the monetary prize may opt to donate to the First Amendment Foundation.
Email Awards Subcommittee Chair Sam Morley and provide the contestant’s resume along with a concise 500-word statement on their merit for this award.
Parker Thomson Awards
Parker Thomson
These awards are named for the late Parker Thomson as a fitting tribute to his countless contributions to media law. Any newspaper, radio station, blog, TV station, wire service or online-only media outlet located in Florida is eligible.
First place award winners will receive $500; second place winners will receive $250. All winning reporters and their media outlets will receive plaques. Recipients may donate cash awards to the First Amendment Foundation.
The Harvard-trained lawyer was a founding partner of Paul & Thomson. He also was a partner at Hogan Lovells, and a mentor to several members of the Media & Communications Law Committee. From 1968 to 1983, Thomson represented many major clients including the Miami Herald, the New York Times, AT&T and Bank of America in First Amendment cases. His expertise included helping newspapers obtain public records. Thomson argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Miami Herald Publishing Company vs. Tornillo in 1974. He represented the Herald and won, overturning a state law that required newspapers to allocate equal space to political candidates on the editorial pages.
Nominations for the 2025 awards, which cover materials published or produced between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024, are open. Final determination of eligibility is reserved for the judges.
The categories are:
- Any non-opinion-based news material with a printed component, including blogs, editorials and columns, whether presented in print or online.
- Any opinion-based material in a newspaper with a printed component, including blogs, editorials and columns, whether presented in print or online.
Television
Any broadcast, YouTube video or other digital broadcast medium story or series that investigates a single issue or continuously follows a single subject/trial.
Radio/Podcast
Any broadcast or podcast story or series that investigates a single issue or continuously follows a single subject/trial.
Online-only publications
Any online story or series, commentary, editorial cartoon or photography focusing on a single issue or continuously covers a single subject/trial.
Traditional print outlets can submit video broadcasts and traditional television outlets can submit written digital articles if desired.
All entries are required to submit a one-to-two page narrative summary and a letter of support from the managing editor, producer or supervisor. Email Nellie Louis with questions or for more information.