Roosevelt University Professor Wins Lisagor Award for Column Writing

Best News Column or Commentary at a Major Daily Newspaper
John Fountain with the legendary journalist Harry Porterfield,
also honored at Friday's Lisagor dinner with the "Lifetime
Achievement Award." 
       John W. Fountain was awarded the prestigious Peter Lisagor Award for best news column or commentary at a daily newspaper with a circulation of more than 250,000. He received the honor Friday May 5, at the awards dinner of the 39th Annual Lisagor for a series of columns on “ChiRaq,” written in 2015.
      It was Fountain’s third Lisagor awarded by the Chicago Headline Club each year and his fifth time being named a finalist since his weekly column began appearing in the Chicago Sun-Times in 2010.
     The Chicago Headline Club is one of the largest Society of Professional Journalists chapters in the country. More than 300 people attended the event held at the Union League Club of Chicago. The awards, which recognize the best of Chicago journalism, are named for Peter Lisagor, the Chicago Daily News’ Washington bureau chief from 1959 to 1976.

        
Where is Fountain's Lisagor in this photo? It's
a famous spot not far from his office on Michigan
Avenue. Hint: The skyline is reflected in this great
Chicago landmark.
      Fountain, a freelance columnist whose work also appears in the Huffington Post, is a tenured professor of journalism at Roosevelt University. He is formerly a national correspondent at the New York Times and staff writer at the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. He is author of the memoir: “True Vine: A Young Black Man’s Journey of Faith, Hope & Clarity” and “Dear Dad: Reflections on Fatherhood.” He is at work on two soon-to-be-released books: “No Place For Me: Letters to the Church in America” and “Son of The Times: Life, Laughter, Love & Coffee.”
       “I am humbled and grateful,” Fountain said. “It is a great honor to be recognized by your peers, and encouraging to know that your voice is being heard. It is truly humbling to be honored among some of the best in journalism.”

History of Fountain’s Lisagor honors:

May 2011Won: Daily newspaper, circulation more than 250,000. For a series of columns published in the Chicago Sun-Times.

2013—Finalist: “Black-on-black victims could fill our stadiums; We must face hard truths and stop making excuses; When will all this bloodshed end?”

2014Won: Lisagor Award Daily Newspaper: Best News Column or Commentary Daily Newspaper, News Service or Bureau, circulation more than 250,000—“One: The Most Important Number – Examining the toll of murder.” A series of five columns by Fountain that looked beyond the number of murders and explored the impact violence has on families, communities, loved ones and others. “One. One bullet. One gun. One hot summer’s night. One death. One city. One dream.  One.”

2015Finalist for ONLINE: BEST FEATURE STORY OR SERIES: For “The Sweet Season, a series of online stories and website created by Fountain, chronicling the journey of a team of Little League baseball players in an impoverished south suburb.

2016—Won in category of Daily Newspaper: Best News Column or Commentary Daily Newspaper, News Service or Bureau, circulation more than 250,000 for "ChiRaq." A series of columns, including a tale of two cities and the impact on those who live in Chicago’s crime besieged neighborhoods.

Note: While a national correspondent for the New York Times, Fountain, in 2003, was a Lisagor finalist in feature writing and sports writing. He has also won numerous other journalism awards. For more on Fountain’s writing, visit his website: www.johnwfountain.com

For More Information, Contact:
Monica Fountain
(708) 580-6408
John W. Fountain with wife Monica at the Lisagor Award dinner at the Chicago Union League.