Lantern founding editor inducted into Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame
Kentucky Lantern editor Jamie Lucke speaks during her induction ceremony into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)
LEXINGTON — Kentucky Lantern founding editor Jamie Lucke was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame Tuesday.
Lucke joins Lantern freelancers Deborah Yetter, Tom Loftus and Jack Brammer, television trailblazer Barbara Bailey, Pulitzer Prize administrator Dana Canedy and many others in the high distinction.
In an acceptance speech in the Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus, Lucke spoke to the importance of journalism now and in the future.
'So much is on the line, including that thing that's at the very top of the rights of citizens,' Lucke said. 'And that is an independent, free press.'
She also said nonprofit journalism, such as the Kentucky Lantern and its parent, States Newsroom, are imperative to the future of journalism. This organization, she said, is 'one reason I'm hopeful.'
'The number one essential ingredient in a democracy, as written in the highest law in our land, is an informed citizenry,' Lucke said. 'An independent, free press may have never been as imperiled as it is right now. It's also never been as needed.'
During Tuesday's ceremony, Duane Bonifer, the president of the UK Alumni Association, praised the inductees for their 'relentless quest for truth, fairness and fidelity to high moral and ethical ideals.'
'They believe that no matter how fierce the political winds of the moment might glow, there are certain timeless principles and values that the free people should not abandon, principles and values such as honesty and openness, the freedom of inquiry and speech, the pursuit of knowledge and the respect of facts and the rule of law and the belief that when organizations embrace inclusion, diversity and equity and don't flee from them…they are extending opportunities and welcoming all people into our larger society.'
Before States Newsroom, the Lantern's parent nonprofit, chose Lucke to launch the Kentucky Lantern in 2022, she was a longtime reporter and editorial writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Lucke attended the University of Kentucky and graduated from the School of Journalism in 1976.
Lucke is part of this year's class of five, including Kentucky Educational Television's Renee Shaw, longtime Courier Journal reporter Stephen J. Ford, University of Kentucky Television/Radio Network host and announcer Dick Gabriel and Lexington Herald-Leader photojournalist Ron Garrison.
The University of Kentucky Journalism Alumni Association founded the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducts members every year. Those in the Hall must be 'natives of Kentucky or journalists who have spent a significant portion of their careers in Kentucky,' according to the College of Communication.
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