Randy Gener Awarded for Shedding Light into Censorship and Repression of Artists

The DEADLINE CLUB, the New York City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), honored the best of the best in New York area journalism at the Annual Dinner of the DEADLINE CLUB AWARDS, one of New York City's most prestigious journalism awards, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Randy Gener, the Nathan Award-winning drama critic and senior editor of American Theatre magazine, won the 2010 Deadline Club Award for Best Arts Reporting in New York - printed, broadcast or otherwise disseminated in 2009. The judges said, "Randy Gener shed light into government censorship and repression of artists. He met the high standards of excellence for journalism and went above and beyond with regards to enterprise, resourcefulness, and overcoming obstacles in pursuit of the story."

Beating The Forward and The New York Times in the specialized writing category, Gener won for "Fomenting a Denim Revolution," which appeared in the May/June 2009 interNational Theatre edition of American Theatre, published by Theatre Communications Group. The article chronicles the plight of the guerilla artists of Belarus Free Theatre who perform underground in Minsk while arguing openly for regime change.

Gener received a Rube Goldberg bronze statue from Club president Rebecca Baker and keynote speaker Robert Thomson, managing editor of Wall Street Journal and editor-in-chief of Dow Jones & Co. The late Goldberg designed the coveted "Rube" to represent his conception of a "dead line." "The competition was fierce, with nearly 300 entries vying for an award, proving once again that New York is truly the media capital of the world," the SPJ judges said. "Tonight's winners and finalists prove that good journalism can make a difference."

The Deadline Club recognized more than two dozen winners and scores of finalists who were deemed the best in New York area journalism - printed, broadcast or otherwise disseminated in 2009 by news organizations based in and around the New York City area. With 21 categories, the focus ranged from newspapers to radio and television to online. This year's winners included journalists from The New York Times, The Associated Press, Newsweek, Newsday, Vanity Fair, Fast Company, Sports Illustrated, Smart Money, CNN and Jazz Loft Project Radio Series. The other two finalists for best arts reporting were Benjamin Ivry from The Forward, for "From the Kol Israel Orchestra to a Pygmy Choir," and Robin Pogrebin from The New York Times, for "Preserving the City."

The Deadline Club of New York is one of the largest chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists. Its members include professionals working in broadcast, print, online and journalism education. The most important mission of SPJ and its chapters is fostering and defending freedom of the press under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. SPJ sends its constitutional lawyers to the aid of journalists who need assistance in exercising their rights.

The Deadline Club has been serving the cause of New York City journalism for nearly 80 years. For a complete list of winners and finalists, visit www.deadlineclub.org.