In 1999 the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications established the Payne Awards to recognize Ethics and Integrity in Journalism. The Payne awards are named for Ancil Payne, a former CEO of King Broadcasting in Seattle and national advocate for broadcasters, commitment to ethical journalism.

The Payne honors will be presented the day before in a ceremony at the School of Journalism and Communication, so we can't tell you just yet who the winners are. We can tell you there will be three winners; A professional journalist, a collegiate journalist and a news organization. We've invited all three Payne award winners to join the City Club the following day for a spirited and informed discussion of Ethics and Integrity in Journalism.

The judges for this national award are a distinquished bunch. They include Dave Boardman, Executive Editor, The Seattle Times; Everette Dennis, Professor for Communications and Media Management and Director for the Center for Communications at Fordham (New York) University's Graduate School of Business; Mark Trahant, Editorial Page Editor, Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Mark Zusman, Editor, Willamette Week; Tom Bivins, John L. Hulteng Chair of Media Ethics; and Tim Gleason, Edwin L. Artzt Dean and Professor, U of O School of Journalism and Communication.

Our first ethical dilemma will be posed by former Dean of the UO School of Journalism, our own Arnold Ismach.