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WASHINGTON, July 29, 1997 – DoD's top two journalists received formal recognition July 23 during the annual Thomas Jefferson Awards Program ceremony at the Pentagon.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Elton R. Price was honored as the military's print journalist of the year, while Army Staff Sgt. Angele P. Ringo received the broadcast journalist of the year award. Some of the Pentagon's top brass turned out to honor the journalists, including Army Secretary Togo D. West Jr. and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis J. Reimer. Clifford H. Bernath, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, presented plaques to Price and Ringo. He characterized their achievements as being in the tradition of Jefferson, who, he said, was one of the strongest early advocates of freedom of speech and one of the architects of the press freedoms embodied in the Constitution. The two journalists also received mementoes from Pentagon correspondents David Martin of CBS News and Tom Ricks of the Wall Street Journal, as well as from Randy Mix, Noncommissioned Officers Association military affairs director. Price is the NCO in charge of internal information at the 21st Space Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He has previously won awards for both newswriting and editorials, and was the 1996 Air Force Journalist of the Year. Ringo is an anchor and producer for Soldiers Radio and Television in Alexandria, Va. She has previously worked as a reporter, anchor and co-producer for American Forces Korea Network and as co-host and producer for a weekly television news magazine at Fort Gordon, Ga. She previously won a first place Army Keith L. Ware Award for radio spot production and second place award for a three-part series on African-American History Month. The annual awards program is designed to promote excellence in military newspapers, magazines and radio and television programming. There are 29 categories of competition, with the print and broadcast journalist of the year representing the highest individual awards.
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