Michael A. Smith
Recipient of the STAR OPINION WRITER OF THE YEAR award in THE CHARLES E. GREEN AWARDS (2020)
Michael A. Smith
Galveston County Daily News
Michael A. Smith
Judge’s Comments:
This year’s division winners represent the best in opinion writing. Each writes from the heart, offers powerful arguments and stands up for their communities. But for the sweep of his subjects, the strength of his arguments and the clear and candid flair in his writing, Michael A. Smith stands above the rest. Smith’s editorials and columns are respectful of his readers. He reflects the arguments made by those on the edges — like, for example, those who would either defund police or keep the status quo in policing. But he mostly focuses on the great middle, those who are trying to make sense of mask mandates, misdemeanor pot arrests or Confederate statues. He offers key facts, a range of voices and a wise perspective that helps people see. He delights in the homespun details of daily life, yet writes in a tight, matter-of-fact, unsentimental fashion, as he did in recounting the lessons of his father’s hardscrabble life. He is the kind of opinion writer readers would look forward to spending time with, to seeing what interesting and well-told insight he has in store for them today.
Rosemary O’Hara
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Judge’s Bio:
Rosemary O’Hara is the editorial page editor of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, a position she’s held since 2012. Previously, she was the editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune.
In 2019, Rosemary was a member of the Sun Sentinel team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its coverage of the many government breakdowns in and around the shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Also in 2019, she helped create The Invading Sea, an editorial board collaboration with the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, with reporting help from WLRN Public Media. Today, the collaboration includes 25 Florida editorial boards.
A native of Upper Michigan, Rosemary graduated from the University of Florida, and has completed journalism fellowships at Stanford University, Columbia University and USC. She’s also served on several state and national journalism boards.
Rosemary regularly appears on television and radio in South Florida, and was named by Influence Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in Florida politics. She lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband, Tom O’Hara.
To read Michael A. Smith’s prize-winning commentary, select from the links below: