Another Payne in McCaw's Craw

It seems there are even more folks in on the conspiracy to drive Wendy McCaw from journalism (or maybe that should be "journalism" given how she practices it). Here's the latest news from the University of Oregon School of Journalism:

The Los Angeles Times and New York Times will share a 2007 Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for their decision-making processes surrounding the June 2006 publication of a story on a US government project to access the SWIFT financial records database. Nine journalists who resigned from the Santa Barbara News-Press in protest over what they characterized as the publisher’s interference with news coverage also will share a 2007 Payne Award.

[...]

The nine former staff members of the Santa Barbara News-Press to receive the Individual Award include Jerry Roberts, former executive editor; George Foulsham, former managing editor; Don Murphy, former deputy managing editor; Gerry Spratt, former sports editor; Michael Todd, former business editor; Jane Hulse, former city editor; Colin Powers, former presentation editor; Scott Hadly, former reporter; and former columnist Barney Brantingham, who worked at the newspaper for 46 years. The judges applauded the journalists’ “difficult decision to act upon their beliefs about what excellence and ethics in journalism mean—even if it meant losing or giving up their jobs.”

And if you want to know, here's what the Payne Awards are about:

Ancil Payne, a legend in Seattle broadcasting, established the Payne Awards at the School of Journalism and Communication in 1999 to “to honor the journalist of integrity and character who reports with insight and clarity in the face of political or economic pressures and to reward performance that inspires public trust in the media.” Payne, who died in October 2004, was former CEO of KING Broadcasting; under his leadership, the company developed a national reputation for its commitment to ethical journalism.