Columnist John W. Fountain, A Voice of Chicago; The Only Thing That’s Changed is His Address
You won’t find last year’s 1st Place winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for column writing in Chicago's two major daily papers. We can tell you where to find him. Same voice. Same passion. Same pen.
By John W. Fountain
YOU WON’T READ CHICAGO’S winner of the National Association of Black Journalists “Salute To Excellence” Award for column writing in both small and large newspapers in the Chicago Sun-Times or the Chicago Tribune.
The same writer who, for the last two years, was 1st Place winner of the Chicago Headline Club’s Peter Lisagor Award for column writing at a large newspaper.
Winner in the last two years straight of the Illinois Associated Press Media Editor’s Award for column writing among large newspapers, winner in 2022 the National Society of Newspaper Columnists 1st Place Award for Social Justice, and numerous other awards over the last 15 years as a columnist. Among them: the harrowing mystery of the death of Jelani Day, and the story of the “Unforgotten,” about 51 murdered mostly African-America women.
You won’t find that writer’s work in either of Chicago’s two major daily newspapers. His name is John Fountain. And we can tell you where to find him and the same prize-winning authentic voice of a native son born on the West Side of Chicago: 50 Cent A Word Substack
Writes one of Fountain’s former editors: “John W. Fountain remembers, and will not let us forget. Chicago born and raised, he has been steeped in the city’s history—a street rep of violence and open-air murder known in gossip, story, song and Frank Sinatra comedy.
Then, in 25 years of work as a reporter, John all too often was covering the slaying of children on city streets, attending their funerals, interviewing their parents, recording the losses that most Americans saw as too minor, too separate, too far away to keep in their memory.
Encompassing history and breaking news; column writing, rap lyrics and blank verse; scalding memory and present tears, John Fountain’s work on opinion pages (over the past 15 years) stands out for its precision, its eloquence, its intelligence, its breadth and variety and emotional pull.”
The only thing that’s changed is his address.
Same voice. Same excellence. Same effort. Same passion. Same pen.
John W. Fountain.
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Email: Author@johnwfountain.com
AWARDS & BIO:
In August 2023, Fountain was awarded 1st place in the National Association of Black Journalists “Salute to Excellence Award” in the category of column writing. Fountain was named first place in winner in two separate categories—large newspapers and small newspapers—for work in 2023 for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Crusader respectively.
In May 2023, he won 1st place in the Chicago Headline Club's Peter Lisagor Award for Best Column or Editorial From a Large Print/Online Publication. In July 2022, Fountain won a 1st Place National Association of Black Journalists’ “Salute To Excellence Award” for Feature News Series for newspapers under 100,000. In June 2022, he was named 1st Place winner in Social Justice commentary from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists; and a 1st place winner for column writing for the Illinois Press Association Media Editors 2021 newspaper contest.
In April 2022, Fountain was named a finalist in three categories for the Chicago Headline Club's Peter Lisagor Award, including as a finalist in the Best Blog Post category for his website, Hear Africa Calling, launched in 2022 while in Ghana, as he chronicled in narrative, photos, video and podcasts during his journey as a Fulbright Scholar. He produced numerous videos, posts and stories also featured on the website. He subsequently won the 1st place Lisagor Award in the combined category of column, editorial and opinion writing.
In Fall 2021, Fountain was named 2nd place winner of the Chicago Journalist Association’s Dorothy Storck Award, and first-place winner of the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Salute To Excellence Award” for column, newspapers under 100,000. He and his students at Roosevelt University were also named a first-place winner of the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Salute To Excellence Award” in Digital Media – Graduate – Best Use of Multimedia – Special Project for a year-long investigative project led by Professor Fountain titled, Unforgotten 51. In 2016, 2014 and also in 2011, he was the recipient of the Peter Lisagor Award for best news column or commentary at a daily newspaper with a circulation of more than 250,000.
I love John Fountain’s writing and have been following him for years. He tells it like it is and I wish more would listen, both blacks and whites. He keeps things in perspective
My Brother John, don't never stop speaking the truth