Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton’s weekly newspaper, The Scout, has been named the military’s finest commercial enterprise publication for 1985, base officials announced Monday.

Lt. Col. Carl Morrison called the paper’s selection for the Thomas Jefferson Award by a panel of civilian journalists who served as judges “just like winning a Pulitzer Prize.”

“There’s been a lot of backslapping and congratulations around the office today,” Morrison said. “We’re all pretty proud.”

Founded along with Camp Pendleton in 1942, The Scout is published each Friday by South Coast Newspapers Inc., which also publishes the Oceanside Blade Tribune and several North County weeklies.

Under a contract, South Coast Newspapers sells advertising for The Scout and distributes the paper, while an editorial staff of both Marines and civilians writes stories and edits the publication. Morrison said nearly all U.S. military bases now produce newspapers under this “commercial enterprise” arrangement.

The Scout is a colorful, full-size paper distributed on base to about 30,000 Marines, their families and base employees. Its content ranges from national military news to sports, local personality profiles and columnists.

Last fall, The Scout was named the best base newspaper in the Marine Corps. Monday’s announcement means the publication has been judged the finest at any U.S. military installation worldwide, Morrison said.

The Thomas Jefferson Award follows a major, two-year overhaul of the newspaper, said Morrison, who oversees production of The Scout as chief of Camp Pendleton’s Joint Public Affairs Office.

“We’ve made a concerted effort in the last few years to change the paper, to modernize it,” Morrison said. “We’re using a different type size, we’ve changed the layout, and we’re doing more local news. I really think the journalism has improved. It’s nice to be recognized.”