On Saturday night, the Second Annual Hugh Aynesworth Awards for Texas Journalism were presented by the Press Club of Dallas (on which, full disclosure, I am a board member) at a ceremony at the Irving Convention Center. Winners and finalists were honored in 17 categories, including newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and digital media. It was in the later that our colleague Mark Lowry, who co-founded TheaterJones.com 10 years, walked away as a two-time winner. Lowry won for digital criticism for his review of Hit The Wall, a play about the Stonewall Riots that was the first directorial effort, in 2017, of WaterTower Theatre’s then-new artistic director Joanie Schultz, who was recently let go from her post. Lowry was the co-recipient with Shelby-Allison Hibbs and Katy Lemieux for investigative journalism for their December 2017 piece that revealed how Dallas Theater Center administrator Lee Trull has been accused of serial sexual harassment.
The ceremony was marked by a number of meaningful moments, including a Q&A with veteran journalist Hugh Aynesworth (a witness to the Kennedy assassination) and speeches that emphasized the value — and difficulty — in practicing legit journalism in the current environment.
Congrats to Mark and all the winners.
