Howard Weaver Award for Leadership in Journalism

Howard Weaver was a born-and-raised Alaskan who grew up in Anchorage’s Muldoon neighborhood in the 1950s and ‘60s. After college, he got a job as a reporter for the upstart Anchorage Daily News in 1972, and his reporting on the Teamsters union and corruption during the construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was central to the ADN’s first Pulitzer Prize win in 1976. From 1976-1979, he founded and led the Alaska Advocate, a statewide alternative weekly newspaper with a crusading spirit of investigative journalism and, in Weaver’s words, butchering sacred cows. In 1979, he became the ADN’s top editor and led the paper to not only its second Pulitzer Prize but also to its position as the foremost print media outlet in Alaska, winning the newspaper war with the Anchorage Times in 1992. He went on to become vice president for news at the nationwide McClatchy newspaper chain, a position he held until his retirement in 2008.

Weaver was not just an excellent reporter and a talented editor; his true gifts to the newsrooms he served were his leadership and mentorship skills. He was able to pass on to others his own deep-rooted faith in journalism as a public service, what he described as, “an enduring belief that telling the truth would change things — that people would make good choices if only they understood.”

The Alaska Press Club’s Howard Weaver Award recognizes journalists who, over the course of their careers, have devoted substantial time and effort to Alaska journalism and who have been leaders or mentors in their newsrooms, making their organizations stronger through their own reporting and editing while also sharpening the skills of their colleagues. It celebrates those who used their journalism to embody Weaver’s mantra (and the title of his memoir), “Write hard, die free.”

The Howard Weaver Award is awarded at the discretion of the Alaska Press Club’s board of directors; it is not required to be awarded each year.

DEADLINE: Materials must be submitted electronically to the Alaska Press Club by March 6, 2026. This should include a letter of recommendation and supporting materials. Email nominations to: alaskapressclubinfo@gmail.com.

Past winners

2024: David Hulen

David Hulen is well deserving of recognition for his role in making sure the Fourth Estate remains alive and well in Alaska.

David has the rare distinction of being a part of teams that were awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for public service with the Anchorage Daily News, in 1989 and 2020. We all know that awards do not provide a full accounting of merit in journalism, but it is notable when a paper the size of the ADN is able to win what is considered journalism’s highest honor twice in the course of one career.

As an editor, David helped lead efforts to transform the Daily News into an online-first newsroom without sacrificing the best traditions of journalism — including careful, sharp reporting and high ethical standards. He embraced experimentation online and finding new ways to communicate with Alaskans.   

In 2015, he was named editor of a vibrant but economically challenged Alaska Dispatch News, guiding it during a period when Craigslist had already decimated classified ad revenue and tech titans were starting to do the same for retail advertising – a trend that continues He was a steady hand during and after ADN’s bankruptcy in 2017, making hard choices about cuts,  but just as important, where to focus, grow and adapt, so ADN would not only survive but retain its vital role in keeping Alaskans informed about the issues that affect them. The strongest proof of David’s wisdom throughout the bankruptcy and the time that followed was a Pulitzer just  three years after the paper was sold for a dollar.

Although David is by nature a quiet personality, he never hesitated to go to bat for his reporters and editors when powerful people or institutions tried to threaten or undermine their coverage. His eye was always on the public interest, he was endlessly curious, his expectations for reporters were high, and through that leadership he gave reporters and editors the confidence to do their jobs without fear of retribution. David, like many of the ADN’s best, has never desired the spotlight, but he deserves thanks for his work in keeping Alaska journalism healthy and essential.

2024: Anne Raup

We would like to honor Anne Raup, who retired this year from a 30-plus year career with Anchorage Daily News, most of it spent providing steady, smart leadership to the photo department. Anne started as a staff photographer, became assistant photo editor in 1999, and photo editor since 2011.

Anne’s eye for photography, empathy for people and thoughtful, ethical judgment have made the ADN better her whole career. She led a veteran photo staff and maintained a reputation that was recognized nationally time and again for high quality. Under her leadership, visual storytelling was respected as crucial, despite industry challenges, shrinking newsrooms, changing multimedia tools and shifting platforms.

Anne helped lead many ambitious projects and in-depth reports while juggling the demands of daily journalism to ensure ADN beautifully reflected life in a unique and endlessly interesting place. She was also kind and collaborative, always favoring a team approach while eschewing personal credit. As editor David Hulen wrote in announcing Anne’s retirement, she was and is “a fierce advocate for visual journalism, and visual journalists, while aiming for the highest standards every day.”

2023: Maria Downey
The inaugural recipient of the Howard Weaver Leadership award recently retired after a 43-year career in broadcast journalism, all of it spent right here in Anchorage. A report on her retirement said, “She’s the rarest of rare anchors who is ensconced in her community, dedicated to her job and objective reporting, and a career of self-awareness of the obligation and power of reporting facts and getting the story “right.” She’s been a role model and mentor to hundreds — if not more — journalists who have funneled their way through Anchorage with their eyes set on a career in TV journalism. She is the example and epitome of the local anchor who really does care.”