Ray Hanania
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Ray Hanania’s Biography
Read Full Bio →Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War, he is the recipient of numerous awards for his news and column writing.
Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News (ArabNews.co…
Ray Hanania’s Journalist Portfolio
Interview
See all 12 answers →Have you ever used a typewriter?
How is social media changing news?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Awards
See all 6 awards →Society of Professional Journalists Award
2009 - Column, News Reporting
Sigma Delta Chi National Award General Column Writing (Non-Daily Publication) Ray Hanania, Southwest News-Herald, Chicago Awarded May 2010 for columns in 2009 Series of articles and columns detailing the challenges facing an Arab American grocer trying to do business in a suburban Chicago community and facing alleged racism and discrimination.
New America Media
2006 - Best Ethnic American Columnist
Commentary/Editorial Writing (English) award for his series on the Israel/Palestine Conflict published in YnetNews.com/ Yedioth Ahronoth. Awarded Nov. 2006, Washington D.C.
Society of Professional Journalists Award
2009 - Column writing non-Daily Newspaper
Chicago Headline Club, SPJ, Peter Lisagor Award N2. Best In-depth Reporting in a Community Newspaper Ray Hanania, Southwest News-Herald, “Racism against grocer in Oak Lawn” Chicago Headline Club/Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) – 2009 Southwest News-Herald Newspaper (In-Depth Reporting) – 2005 Southwest News-Herald Newspaper (Column writing) – 2002 Arlington Heights Daily Herald (Column writing) – 1985 Daily Southtown Newspaper (Column Writing)
Society of Professional Journalists Award
2006 - News Column, Commentary, Non-Daily Newspaper
Chicago Headline Club, SPJ, Peter Lisagor Award News column or commentary Award: Southwest News Herald, “Thanksgiving Tabouli Wars Is Now Served,” “Graduates Who Defy Stereotypes” and “Reavis Reunion Creeps Up Like Receding Hair,” Ray Hanania Comments: Writing a regular column is a lot harder than it looks. General interest columnists have to be ready to show themselves and share their inner thoughts and beliefs with their readers — something most of us were trained not to do in the course of our other job as fair and ideally objective reporters of facts. Ray Hanania’s columns illustrate how the best of us are able to accomplish that, taking the random and (globally) inconsequential activities of daily life and crafting them into a deceptively simple- sounding monologue that touches people with the familiarity of the experiences while shedding light on the serious and significant concerns of the larger world. Mr. Hanania manages that slight-of-hand with both wit and grace, and most difficult of all, a dash of humor that lightens outrage and makes it palatable, causing the reader to think about the greater issues roiling beneath the surface without compelling them in any obvious way to challenge their assumptions. Instead they think about the world in ways they might have resisted if they were simply being bashed over the head with passionate and reasoned argument.
Society of Professional Journalists Award
2002 - News Column Writing, Daily Newspaper
Chicago Headline Club, SPJ, Peter Lisagor Award The Arlington Heights Daily Herald Ray Hanania Columns on Middle East Peace, Middle East Conflict
Society of Professional Journalists Award
1985 - Column writing
Chicago Headline Club, SPJ, Peter Lisagor Award Daily Southtown Newspaper Column Writing