Dahlman takes home prestigious Award

By Medicine Hat News on April 30, 2018.

bpenton@medicinehatnews.com @MHNBrucePenton

A solid reputation in the newspaper business and a strong work ethic has resulted in a prestigious award for Prairie Post managing editor Ryan Dahlman.

The 48-year-old Dahlman — a 24-year veteran of the community newspaper industry and winner of multiple provincial and national newspaper awards for journalistic excellence — was presented with the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association’s Julie Schau Memorial Award at the organization’s spring meeting in Saskatoon Saturday.

The Schau Award is presented periodically to industry members to recognize “outstanding service, dedication and devotion within the community newspaper industry and recognizing trust, effort, support and professionalism by an individual who continues to go over and above the call of duty.” Schau was a former SWNA employee who died in 2012 after a battle with cancer.

That criteria perfectly describes Dahlman, who was nominated for the award by Brad Brown, a former employee of Dahlman’s who then leaned on his mentor for advice and guidance three years ago when he was developing a new paper, the Quad Town Forum, based in Vibank, Sask.

“If I could sum Ryan up in one word, it would be ‘selfless,'” said Brown. “He’s not drowning in free time but he always puts others first.”

Dahlman graduated from the U of R in 1994 with two degrees — journalism and political science — and was immediately offered a reporting job at the Taber Times, where he had served an internship the previous year. He started at the Prairie Post in 1999 and has been there ever since, becoming managing editor in 2000. The two publications he manages — Prairie Post East and West — have a combined circulation of about 35,000.

“The Schau award is a definite highlight,” said Dahlman. “It means more than a national (newspaper) award … it’s an accumulation over time. I knew Julie, so it’s incredibly humbling to win an award named in her memory. I had a tear in my eye when I was told I’d won.”

Not only has Dahlman produced great stories, photos, editorials and overall publications, but he has done it with the disadvantage of an eyesight problem. He was diagnosed this past December with Irlen’s Syndrome, which makes reading challenging. “I have to work hard to read,” he said. There is no cure, but he manages the affliction by wearing sunglasses and reducing as much light as possible.

Steve Nixon, executive director of SWNA, said Dahlman is a worthy recipient of the Schau Memorial award. “He’s a great ambassador for the industry,” said Nixon.

Brown said he is grateful to Dahlman for helping his career — first hiring him as a freelancer for the Swift Current area, and later with guidance, encouragement and “sharing wisdom” as Brown “took the plunge” to start a community newspaper from scratch in 2015 while other publications were dying. Nixon said the SWNA roster of papers, once as high as 92, is now in the mid-60s.

“He was absolutely instrumental in helping me get started,” said Brown. “He didn’t have time or an obligation to do so, but he did.”

Dahlman said he tries to live life as his father suggested: “He taught me if you work hard, people around you will want to work hard, too. It makes it easier to work as a group.”

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