Farmington’s Tri-City Record reporter Debra Mayeux was one of five New Mexicans to win a 2024 William S. Dixon First Amendment Award on Saturday in Albuquerque at the Sandia Golf Event Center.
The statewide award was given for the first time 20 years ago as a way to honor people who work to keep government accountable, transparent and accessible to their communities, according to the foundation’s executive director, Melanie Majors.
In her acceptance speech Saturday, Mayeux shared that her tenure in journalism started in 1992, and since then, she has been passionate about pursuing truth.
She was introduced as someone who is “not afraid to go above and beyond in terms of the public’s right to know” and as someone who has used the power of the freedom of information to expose issues in the local systems.
“I just have to say I am honored to receive this award,” Mayeux said. “I started in journalism in Farmington in 1992, so I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
“I just want to keep doing the good job of keeping the government transparent and accountable,” Mayeux said.
Mayeux shared that when Farmington didn’t have a newspaper, local law enforcement and the city “got very used to not being held accountable.” When the Tri-City Record opened a little over a year ago, Mayeux said she was ready to “go get them again.”
“The mayor doesn’t talk to me anymore,” Mayeux said to laughter from the crowd, “but I’m holding him accountable, and that’s the job of a journalist. I’ve told a lot of them, it’s not to be your friend, it’s to hold you accountable.”
In one case, the e San Juan County Sheriff’s Office denied her the name of a child who died in Bloomfield after a farming accident and used an excuse not allowable under law to keep the name from her.
“We got involved and sent out a letter,” Majors said.
Eventually, they released the requested records to Mayeux.
Amanda Lavin, an attorney at NMFOG, said she worked with Mayeux to get juvenile records. Several agents around the state were using the Children’s Code to bar disclosure of those records.
“She was one of the journalists who had brought that issue to our attention as it was happening in Farmington,” said Lavin. “It was something that was kind of just cropping up over the state. It’s always really helpful when people bring the issues to our attention. Otherwise, we don’t know it’s happening.”
The other 2024 Dixon Award recipients were Katherine Korte in the Citizen Category, John Kreienkamp in the Government Category, Nathan Small in the Government Category and Brittany Costello in the Media Category.
Mayeux found out about the award on Aug. 29 while she was teaching a high school class.
She said, “I just kept saying, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.”
Mayeux was nominated by Trent Stephens, senior editor of the Tri-City Record, Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez.
“I applaud Debra’s efforts to go to all lengths necessary … without her willingness to fight for government transparency, I feel a dangerous precedent would have been set,” Stephens said.
Stephens continued by sharing his appreciation for Mayeux’s ability to find the details of a story that are hidden beneath the surface, something he said citizens deserve to know about.
Mayeux was also recognized for her work in investigative journalism by The Associated Press in the early 2000s. She is from Farmington, and says this has made her all the more motivated to serve through pursuing justice and transparency for those who live in the place she calls home.
