Rick Hutzell 2018
Rick Hutzell was named the editor of Capital Gazette in 2015, and today leads the newsroom responsible for capitalgazette.com, as well as The Capital, the Maryland Gazette and other print editions.
On June 28, the Capital Gazette newsroom was attacked by a gunman. Five members of his staff were killed. In coordination with his staff of reporters and photographers, and with help from the staff of The Baltimore Sun, Hutzell led the news organization in coverage of the story and publication of the print edition the next day. The newspaper did not miss an edition despite having a third of its staff die in the attack.
Hutzell started with the company in 1987, and over the years has worked as a reporter, editor, columnist — and like every small town newspaper editor fields calls about delivery, obituaries and submitting vacation photos from for a popular weekly feature. Hutzell grew up in Maryland, moving around with his parents until finally settling in Ocean City. He graduated from the University of Virginia at Wise, a really small college in Appalachia, and and later the University of Tennessee, a much bigger college in Knoxville. Before coming to The Capital in 1987, he worked at newspapers in his hometown and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He and his wife, Chara, have lived in Annapolis for 30 years and have two children in college.
NPF judges said: “We saw courage in the face of unimaginable tragedy in the Capital Gazette editor and his staff. As pledged, they put out a ‘damn paper’ the next day, and every day since in service to their community. It underscores the importance of local newspapers and the unbreakable bond with their communities.”