Local editor John Underwood honored for making impact

Local editor John Underwood honored for making impact

Local editor John Underwood has earned the John Stephenson Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist Award from The Auburn University Journalism Advisory Council for makimg an impact on the community he serves.
A Foley resident and Summerdale native, Underwood (pictured) has been synonymous with community journalism for the past 30 years, serving in a variety of roles with several newspapers, including the Onlooker in Foley.
“From covering football games every Friday night to weekly council meetings, from event coverage to breaking crime news, John is always ready and on the spot to provide news and information to his readers,” said Cliff McCollum, his former managing editor.
The community journalism award was named to honor John Stephenson, long-time editor and publisher of the Randolph Leader, earlier this year. Stephenson was a long-time member of the Advisory Council, and a leader in Alabama community journalism.
The AU Journalism Advisory Council established these awards in 2004 to recognize and celebrate the best and most enduring professionals in its field, both in this state and those outside it with Alabama roots. Only the AU Journalism Alumnus award must go to someone with Auburn connections.
“Whether working for long-established national journalism cooperatives, community outlets, or even aggressive online start-ups,” said Carvalho, associate director for journalism in the School of Communication and Journalism, “these individuals show that Alabama’s news consumers are getting quality information in all media forms.