Start the Presses, It's Journalism's Trophy Show

Biloxi Sun-Herald Editor Stan Tiner greets honoree Charles Osgood of CBS. (By Lucian Perkins -- The Washington Post)

Tough decision last night. The Olympic women's figure skating finals airing from Turin, or the National Press Foundation's 23rd-annual awards dinner at the Hilton Washington Hotel?

The NPF benefit didn't feature any salchows or triple axels. Nobody threw bouquets on ice -- certainly not this group! But, believe it or not, the gathering of many of the nation's top-notch reporters, editors and producers to toast some of the best work in journalism had almost as much drama as the Games.

Spoiler: Topping the list of the night's winners were columnist Jack Germond, CBS correspondent Charles Osgood and Toledo Blade Executive Editor Ron Royhab. More on them after this.

At the cozy and way-overcrowded reception for the head table, before 1,000 or so guests (most of them with ink in their blood) converged on the ballroom, a larger-than-life Germond held court in a corner while prestigious journalists maneuvered to get in a hello with Ben Bradlee, the former executive editor of The Washington Post.

Bradlee's "the gold standard of editors," said NPF Chairman George Condon, who served as master of ceremonies for the evening.

If the Pulitzers are the Oscars of journalism, what are the NPF awards?

"I wouldn't characterize it that way," said NPF President Bob Meyers, explaining that the NPF isn't a glitter organization, but an educational foundation. This dinner is its principal source of revenue -- figuring it at $600,000 gross this night.

"We give unique awards and try to fill in the gaps to recognize people who worked in the trenches and at the top for a long time," he said.

But then he answered the question: "Often the editor of the year and cartoonist of the year awards are precursors to the Pulitzers."

Black-tie was optional. These are journalists, after all. But most of the guests opted for formal attire.

CNN's tuxed Ed Henry, who won the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Coverage of Congress along with the Boston Globe's Susan Milligan, brought his 4-year-old son, Patrick, wearing a little tuxedo. A couple of weeks earlier, Patrick won a soccer trophy. He was wondering if his dad would be getting a trophy here. Not exactly.

"But it's a terrific honor. . . . It's humbling," said Henry, who a few weeks ago got caught in a crunch between that nerve-gas scare on Capitol Hill and a formal congressional press dinner. For three hours he reported on air -- in a tuxedo.