ROANOKE, VA, April 8, 2019-WDBJ7 Senior Reporter Joe Dashiell received the Associated Press’ Robert Gallimore Distinguished Service Award at the AP Awards Luncheon at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia on Saturday. Named after the AP Chief of Bureau in Richmond between 1967 and 1985, the award honors a Virginia broadcaster for outstanding service in the public interest; a broadcaster who exemplifies a commitment to journalism and reflects honorably on the news profession.

Joe Dashiell has been on the front lines of history in Virginia for nearly 40 years. He started his career in 1980 as a reporter for WDBJ Television, working in four different newsrooms for the station, including as the Richmond Bureau Chief. Whether covering the General Assembly, politics in general, the pipeline controversy or general assignments around Roanoke, Lynchburg and the New River Valley, Joe is dedicated and thorough. The quality of his work has also earned him two regional Emmy awards, a regional Edward R. Murrow award and the George A. Bowles Jr. Award for Distinguished Performance in Broadcast News from the Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters. In addition to the straightforward manner he is known for on air, Joe is respected off air and throughout the WDBJ7 newsroom for his attitude and generosity to others. According to colleague Tim Saunders, “Joe has never taken advantage of his veteran status and he often outperforms much younger colleagues in terms of the volume of content he produces.”

WDBJ7 News Director David Hughes said “Joe’s commitment to journalism, this TV station, our community, and the Commonwealth where we live is unmatched. I think we would all agree, there is no one out there more deserving of this award than Joe.”

WDBJ7 is home to the region’s number one newscast in the Roanoke/Lynchburg Virginia DMA. WDBJ7 and WZBJ24 are owned corporately by Gray Television, which has 145 television stations in 91 markets across the country.