All-Kentucky journalism all-stars

From left, Al Smith Award winner Bill Estep; Tom and Pat Gish Award recipients Roger Smith and Lisa Stayton; and keynote speaker Dee Davis. Photos: Shannon Brock

Both recipients of awards presented during the 2025 Al Smith Awards dinner in November are Kentuckians, a rarity considering one category is open to rural journalists nationwide.

Bill Estep, recently retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader and a South Kentucky RECC consumer-member, received the Al Smith Award. The award is presented annually and honors public service through community journalism by Kentuckians. It is named after the late Albert P. Smith Jr., rural newspaper publisher and founding producer and host of KET’s Comment on Kentucky.

Lisa Stayton and Roger Smith, of The Mountain Citizen in Inez, received the 2025 Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity, and tenacity in rural journalism. This award is presented in honor of Tom and Pat Gish, who published The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg for more than 50 years.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg.

Kentucky Living and Kentucky Electric Cooperatives are proud sponsors of the Al Smith Awards dinner.