The Dallas Morning News Names the Illegal Immigrant as 2007 Texan of the Year

DALLAS, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Morning News will name the
illegal immigrant as its Texan of the Year in the paper's Sunday, December 30
editions. The newspaper's Editorial Board recognizes the myriad, profound ways
in which this group of people impacts Texas, ranging from the economy to
politics to the most basic sense of culture. Lamenting that "there seems to be
little middle ground in [the] debate," the Board notes that "spectacular
fights over their presence ... broke out across Texas this past year, adding
to the national pressure cooker as only Texas can."
"Everything's bigger in Texas, and history and geography guarantee that
the immigration problem is no different. And many issues are flaring sooner
here," the editorial reads, as it dedicates unusual length to explore all
sides of the issue and put a face on the people at the center of the debate.
"Illegal immigration exacerbates the natural tension in American society by
injecting more change than can be absorbed -- and by defying laws designed to
control the rate of change," the editorial reads.
"The story of the illegal immigrant in Texas is rich in history,
complexity and controversy, and the impact on the state is pervasive," said
Keven Ann Willey, vice president and editorial page editor of The Dallas
Morning News. "Because of this complexity, and also because of their illegal
status, it was not possible for us to call out a single individual, but as the
Board debated it became clear to us that as a group, these people merited
recognition."
The full text of the editorial will be posted Sunday morning at
http://www.dallasnews.com/texanoftheyear.
"We expect our choice will trigger lively debate, since people have such
strong feelings on the issue of illegal immigration," said Rodger Jones,
editorial writer and project manager of the Texan of the Year project. Readers
can share their opinions on the newspaper's editorial blog,
dallasmorningviews.beloblog.com.
The editorial culminates a 10-part series that named finalists for Texan
of the Year, including state water planner Bill Mullican; Carol Wise,
scoliosis researcher at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children; Dallas
County District Attorney Craig Watkins; Sharon Keller, presiding judge of the
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones; anti-cancer
activist Cathy Bonner; and Garrett Boone, co-founder of Texas Business for
Clean Air.
Now in its fifth year, the annual Texan of the Year list draws from reader
nominations submitted to the Editorial Board of The Dallas Morning News. The
criteria call for finding "a Texan (or Texans) who has had uncommon impact;
who exemplifies Texas traits of trailblazing, independence and staring down
adversity; and who has affected or influenced lives (positively or
negatively)." The board selected the finalists and winner through a vote.
Past Texans of the Year include Roy Velez, in 2006 (for exemplifying love
and compassion in the face of overwhelming tragedy following the war-related
loss of his two sons), the city of Houston, in 2005 (for its stellar response
to Hurricane Katrina victims), Karl Rove in 2004 and George W. Bush in 2003.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Keven Ann Willey or
Rodger Jones, please contact Jasmine Bouyer at 214-891-5817 or
jasmine_bouyer@richards.com.
About The Dallas Morning News
Established in 1885, The Dallas Morning News is the nation's 15th largest
newspaper and serves a readership of nearly 1.6 million. In 2003, the paper
launched the leading Spanish-language daily in North Texas, Al Dia; the
standard-setting free weekday paper, Quick; and the nation's first editorial
blog. The newspaper has received eight Pulitzer Prizes since 1986, as well as
numerous other industry awards recognizing the quality of its investigative
and feature journalism, editorial commentary, design and photojournalism. In
2005, the News received the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism
Award for its editorial series calling for mandatory record votes in the Texas
legislature, and its Web site, DallasNews.com, also was honored for Web
reporting.
SOURCE The Dallas Morning News

Jasmine Bouyer, +1-214-891-5817, jasmine_bouyer@richards.com, for The Dallas
Morning News