Blade’s Chibbaro to be honored

Lou Chibbaro Jr. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Longtime Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. will be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Washington Pro Chapter next month.

Chibbaro, who started freelancing for the paper in the ’70s and came on staff full time in 1984, was selected by the Society for inclusion and is the first member of the LGBT press to be inducted.

“I was surprised and highly honored,” Chibbaro said. “It came as a complete surprise. … It’s a true honor to be selected in the company of others who have won this in the past.”

Chibbaro’s fellow inductees are Paula Cruickshank of the CCH Washington News Bureau, Wendell Goler of Fox News and Martin Weil of Washington Post. Barbara Feinman Todd and Asra Nomani of Georgetown University will receive the Society’s Distinguished Service Award. The awards will be given June 14 at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Washington.

Chibbaro says his philosophy of journalism “would include reporting as thoroughly and as fairly as possible. I don’t believe in the philosophy some have of advocacy journalism … I believe the community benefits most by shedding light on the issues around it as fairly as possible and with each side given equal opportunity to express their views on an issue that might be controversial.”

To be eligible, journalists must have been reporting in Washington for at least 25 years. Previous inductees include David Brinkley, Art Buchwald, Sam Donaldson, Walter Lippmann, Robert Novak, William Safire, Helen Thomas, Judy Woodruff and Bob Woodward.”

“We believe based on his excellent work, that Lou Chibbaro Jr. deserves to stand with them,” the Society said in a statement. “We are honored that he has accepted induction.”