Two rural newspaper executives among winners of Yankee Quill Awards from Academy of New England Journalists

Marianne Stanton, The Inquirer and Mirror

Two rural newspaper executives are among the six New England journalists who will receive the Yankee Quill Award next month from the Academy of New England Journalists for contributions to the betterment of journalism in the region. They are Marianne Stanton of the weekly Inquirer and Mirror on Nantucket Island, Mass., and Terrence "Terry" Willliams, president and chief executive officer of the Keene (N.H.) Sentinel.

Stanton has spent more than 40 years at her paper, growing up with it when it was owned by her parents before being sold in 1990. She started as a reporter, became editor, and then publisher. "Under her leadership, the paper has won numerous awards and gained a stellar reputation for its integrity and unwavering belief in the right of people to know what their public officials are doing," the academy says. The paper recently returned to local ownership, with Stanton continuing as editor and publisher.

Terrence Williams, The Keene Sentinel

Williams "is the definition of an accomplished newspaper leader, both as an editor and a publisher," the academy says. "He has been one of New England’s leading publishing executives throughout most of his distinguished 40-year career. His news products have won numerous awards for excellence in journalism and bold revenue solutions. He is an outstanding leader and strong communicator and is regarded as one of the most thoughtful and collaborative publishers in New England."

The other Yankee Quill winners are: Paul Bass, founder, publisher, and editor of the New Haven Independent, one of the country’s leading nonprofit digital news organizations; Tom Condon, former columnist, editorial writer and investigative reporter at the Hartford Courant; Melvin B. MIller, founder, publisher and editor of the Bay State Banner, a weekly for Greater Boston’s African American community; and the late William Monroe Trotter, an early and outspoken 20th-century civil-rights activist who founded the Boston Guardian newspaper.

The inductees were selected in 2021, but the induction ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic. The awards will be presented at a luncheon as part of the annual convention of the New England Newspaper and Press Association Friday, April 29, at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.