The Al Smith Award honors public service through community journalism by Kentuckians. Smith was the first recipient of the award.
This annual event is designed to honor its namesake: Albert P. Smith Jr., who owned weekly newspapers in Kentucky and Tennessee, was founding host of KET’s “Comment on Kentucky” and main founder of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.
In the spirit of its namesake, the dinner event was created in 2011 to honor good journalism for rural Kentucky communities. The celebration has grown to include the Tom and Pat Gish Award, recognizing student scholarship contributions and a keynote speaker.
In 2024, Campbell Robertson of The New York Times shared his unlikely path into career journalism, including being told his job at the Times would "never lead to becoming a Times reporter." He discussed some of his writing adventures and described life as a reporter as "the best job in the world. . . . It really is."
The event is co-sponsored by the Institute for Rural Journalism and the Bluegrass Chapter (KY) of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The 2024 recipient, Bobbie Foust, dedicated her career to providing excellent local news coverage throughout western Kentucky. She's been a long-time reporter and served as an editor for three newspapers in the region. Despite being in her 90s, she's still using stories to help serve her community.
Past award winners and their affiliations at the time:
- 2024: Bobbie Foust, lifetime western Kentucky reporter
- 2023: Ben Gish and Sam Adams, of The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, Ky.
- 2022: Chris and Allison Evans, The Crittenden Press
- 2021: WKMS, the staff of the radio station at Murray State University
- 2020: Becky Barnes, the Cynthiana Democrat
- 2019: David Thompson, Kentucky Press Association
- 2018: Stevie Lowery, The Lebanon Enterprise
- 2017: Ryan Craig, Todd County Standard, and the late Larry Craig, Green River Republican
- 2016: Sharon Burton, Adair County Community Voice and The Farmer’s Pride
- 2015: Carl West, The (Frankfort) State Journal
- 2014: Bill Bishop and Julie Ardery, The Daily Yonder
- 2013: John Nelson, Danville Advocate-Messenger
- 2012: Jennifer P. Brown, Kentucky New Era; and Max Heath, Landmark Community Newspapers
- 2011: Al Smith