Rex Nelson, senior editor of The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, received third-place honors in the over 35,000 circulation category of the Columns category of the Carmage Walls Commentary Prize.
Third-place includes a curved glass plaque and a cash prize of $500.
David Barham, editorial page editor of The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, submitted three columns on behalf of Nelson for the Carmage Walls Award.
"If this particular contest awards bravery of writers," Barham wrote in nominating Nelson for this award, "how about a columnist taking on a new (and popular) governor in the most straight-forward way, even though he once worked for her father?" And, in his spare time, Barham said, he also takes on entrenched interests, as well.
First column:
The turning point
In the opening paragraphs of Nelson's column about Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, Nelson writes:
“If you’re a student of Arkansas political history, mark down the dates of Sept. 11-13. They might represent the first time Arkansas legislators realized that the empress has no clothes.
“Those were the first three days of a special legislative session called by Gov. Sarah Sanders with the intent of destroying the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, legislation that was the pride of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s administration in the late 1960s; legislation that has survived countless attempts to weaken it in the decades since it was signed into law.
“This may go down as the week legislators said ‘enough’ to our young, inexperienced governor, who has attempted to govern through intimidation since taking office in January.”
Second column:
A false narrative
In this column, Nelson writes about the power of misinformation on social media, saying it "shows us how even well-educated people can be duped by the social media mob."
Nelson wrote: "Wild rumors began circulating in these hills after a coalition floated the idea of making the Buffalo National River a national park preserve. A poll was commissioned, and the rumors
spread — Tom and Steuart Walton, grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton, want to take over Buffalo National River; the Sarah Sanders administration wants to take over Buffalo National River; eminent domain will again be used; hunting and fishing will be prohibited; the Waltons plan to mine the area.
"None of these rumors are true, but I watched on social media as people (many of whom I consider friends) bought into them without any effort to obtain the facts."
Third column:
An Arkansas Christmas
"Each family has its Christmas traditions," Nelson writes in this Christmas column. "For me, an Arkansas Christmas is the smell of cedar, wet bird dogs and pipe smoke. It’s the taste of quail and duck. It’s the sound of a shotgun bringing mistletoe down from a tree. It’s fruitcake, mincemeat pie and pecans."
Though no one classifies it as a Christmas carol, Nelson says he also will listen to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and think of a Christmas Eve six decades ago. (Read his column at the link below to understand why this is so special to him.) "My Christmas wish," he wrote, "is that you hold someone’s hand who’s dear to you and experience a special kind of peace in these tumultuous times. Merry Christmas, Arkansas."
Among the judges' comments:
