By KENYA KING (www.atlantadailyworld.com)
The Atlanta Press Club inducted Atlanta Daily World Publisher M. Alexis Scott and the Scott Family into the inaugural class of its Hall of Fame on Sept. 22 in honor of their pioneering newspaper business.
The Atlanta Daily World, founded in 1928 by Alexis Scott’s grandfather, W.A. Scott II, was the nation’s first Black-owned daily newspaper and the first Black publication to receive credentials to cover the White House.
The other inductees include Henry Grady, editor of The Atlanta Constitution in the 1880s; Furman Bisher, former Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports editor and columnist; Tom Johnson, former president of CNN and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times; Ted Turner, founder of CNN and Turner Broadcasting System; and John Pruitt, retired WSB-TV Channel 2 news anchor.
“We are really humbled by the recognition,” Scott said after receiving the award. “We feel like we have brought a special voice to the community, and not just to the African- American community but to the total community because we do have readers in all parts of the city, all parts of the metro-area, and we are grateful for that.”
Scott has served as publisher of the Daily World for the past 14 years, following a 22-year career with The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and Cox Enterprises.
When her grandfather was murdered at the age of 32, the Scott family rallied to sustain the business. “This tragedy encouraged a fierce commitment on the part of our family to pull together to continue the business, and that commitment remains true today,” said Scott.
Xernona Clayton, a pioneering civil rights activist and broadcast executive who founded the Trumpet Awards, presented the award to Scott and the family. She touted the Scotts’ business as ‘synonymous with leadership, action and success.’
“The Atlanta Daily World was one of the reasons why we started the Trumpet Awards – to talk about the accomplishments
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