Mark Davis

Powell Tribune outdoor writer Mark Davis has been honored by the Wyoming Press Association as “Veteran Journalist of the Year” for 2020, recognizing him for “consistent high quality in writing.”

The award goes to a Wyoming journalist over 35 years of age in an open class of competition in all circulation categories of Wyoming newspapers.

Davis, 56, has established himself as one of the leading voices in Wyoming coverage of recreation and public land issues in the state in his three-and-a-half years as an outdoor writer for the Powell Tribune. He had three decades of newsroom experience before joining the Tribune in May of 2017. That included 17 years at the Omaha World Herald and 12 years with what is now the Chicago Tribune Suburban Newspaper Group.

Davis has earned the respect of agency heads and resource managers in the field with his understanding of the issues and the challenges of preserving the landscapes,
wildlife populations, forests and waterways of the state, Tribune Publisher Dave Bonner said in nominating
Davis for the award.

“Mark’s speciality is his coverage of outdoor issues. But this is community journalism,”  Bonner said. “A news staffer at our newspaper is called upon to do a variety of stories in the course of twice-weekly publishing. Mark responds with stories offering revealing detail and flavor.”

Davis is also a world-class photographer and shoots news and sporting events for the Tribune in addition to illustrating his own news and feature work.

He views the award as team recognition.

“None of this would have been possible without owners and management who care deeply about journalism and have a commitment to this community,” Davis said. “Many newspapers have cut staff, pay or the number of editions they published during the coronavirus pandemic. The Tribune management refused to make the deep cuts that may have helped the bottom line, but would have hindered the ability to bring the news to its subscribers.”

“They also know the importance of the outdoors to the residents of Wyoming and are one of only two newspapers in the state and one of the few in the country that still have a dedicated outdoors reporter,” he added. “Ten of our staff won individual awards. Each is just as deserving of this award, and very little of what I have been able to do would have been possible without them.”

From editing to page design and printing, “the secret to our success is in teamwork,” Davis said.