Russ Pankonin to Receive Nebraska Press Association Master Editor-Publisher Award
Imperial publisher honored for nearly four decades of leadership in community journalism
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Press Association (NPA) will present the Master Editor-Publisher Award to Russ Pankonin of Imperial during the 2026 NPA Annual Convention.
The award will be presented Friday evening, April 17, during the convention awards banquet at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln. Pankonin was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of previous Master Editor-Publisher honorees.
Pankonin devoted 39 years to community journalism, serving in leadership roles with newspapers in Imperial, Grant and Wauneta. He and his wife, Lori, owned the newspapers for many years and were inducted as the first husband-wife team into the Nebraska Press Association Hall of Fame in 2024.
A longtime leader within Nebraska’s newspaper industry, Pankonin served as president of the Nebraska Press Association in 2007 and as president of the Nebraska Press Advertising Service, Inc. (OnePress) in 1998. He also served on the NPA Board of Directors and various association committees.
Pankonin grew up on a farm near Grant, Neb., graduating from Perkins County High School in 1976. He later earned a business degree from Kearney State College in 1980 and worked in real estate before entering the newspaper business. In 1982, he and Lori joined the Johnson family newspaper operation as co-editors of the Wauneta Breeze.
After 15 years in Wauneta, Russ and Lori moved to Imperial in 1997 with their daughters, Brooke and Celeste, to take leadership roles with Johnson Publications Inc. In 1999, they purchased the company with Lori’s sister, Brenda Brandt, from Lori’s parents, Loral and Elna Johnson.
Their ownership included four newspapers — The Imperial Republican, Wauneta Breeze, Grant Tribune-Sentinel, and The Holyoke Enterprise in Holyoke, Colo. — along with commercial printing operations in Imperial. Russ and Lori served as co-publishers in Imperial, Grant and Wauneta while Brandt served as publisher in Holyoke until the company was sold in November 2021.
Throughout his career, Pankonin was known for his strong editorial voice and dedication to community involvement. He wrote personal columns and editorials that earned numerous NPA awards, including recognition for Editorial of the Year.
Beyond the newsroom, Pankonin was deeply engaged in civic life. In Wauneta, he was a 15-year member of the Wauneta fire department and served on the Wauneta village board.
He has served for many years on the Chase County Fair Board, helped launch ALLO Communications headquartered in Imperial and participated in local organizations including the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, the Imperial Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA) and the Imperial Public Power District board. He and Lori are members of the Imperial Methodist Church.
During his tenure on the CRA, the authority joined efforts with the city council to purchase 77 acres on the southeast edge of Imperial for housing and commercial development. This addition now contains a mix of 25 rental and owner-occupied homes and six commercial businesses, with more room for both.
He also contributed technical expertise to the newspaper industry as a member of the NPA Technology Committee, with Johnson Publications among the early adopters of desktop publishing.
Known for championing hyperlocal journalism, Pankonin and his staff built award-winning newspapers that promoted and celebrated community achievements while providing fair, balanced coverage of important local issues.
The Master Editor-Publisher Award recognizes outstanding leadership, service and dedication to Nebraska’s newspaper industry.