Scripps Howard Foundation Announces National Journalism Awards Winners

CINCINNATI, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Scripps Howard Foundation today announced the winners of its annual National Journalism Awards, honoring the best work in the communications industry and journalism education in 2009.

The competition was established in 1953 and is open to all U.S. news organizations and college journalism and mass communications educators. Opportunities for 2009 work were increased across multiple platforms and two new categories were created for community journalism and breaking news to reflect changes in the media business.

Cash awards totaling $175,000 will be presented in 17 categories April 23 during a dinner at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa, Fla. It will be hosted by the Foundation and its corporate founder, The E.W. Scripps Company.

"These awards not only recognize outstanding talent, skill and intellect, but reward dedication to serving our country and communities with journalism that changes lives and protects democracy," said Mike Philipps, Foundation president and chief executive officer. "It's a powerful message we look forward to sharing in Tampa, home of Scripps television station WFTS-ABC Action News."

The 2009 National Journalism Awards winners are:

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News receive the $15,000 Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize, given in cooperation with Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication and the Farfel Endowment for "Tainted Justice," which exposed routine abuse by police of people without the means to defend themselves.

Finalists: Sean Webby, The Mercury News, San Jose, Calif., for "San Jose Police: Misdemeanor Justice;" and Lewis Kamb, Seth Rosenfeld and Todd Bensman, Hearst Newspapers, for "Chain Saw Scouting"

BREAKING NEWS

The Associated Press receives $10,000 and a trophy for its coverage during the first 24 hours following the Nov. 5 shootings at Fort Hood, Texas.

Finalists: The Flint (Mich.) Journal and KTVU-TV, Oakland, Calif.

PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING

Meg Kissinger and Susanne Rust of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel receive $10,000 and the Roy W. Howard Award for "Chemical Fallout," an investigation that spanned three years and forced federal regulators to reverse opinions and eventually declare bisphenol A, a chemical known as BPA, dangerous to fetuses, infants and children.

Finalists: Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica/Los Angeles Times; and The Philadelphia Inquirer for "Crisis in the Courts"

EDITORIAL WRITING

Robert Greene of the Los Angeles Times receives $10,000 and the Walker Stone Award for offering solutions to California's insolvency and calling for a state constitutional convention.

Finalists: Barb Arrigo, Detroit Free Press; and Jamie Lucke, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader

COMMENTARY

Nicholas D. Kristof of The New York Times receives $10,000 and a trophy for investigating and exposing the oppression of women and girls in a half-dozen countries on three continents.

Finalists: Jim Kenyon, Valley News, West Lebanon, N.H.; and Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal

HUMAN INTEREST WRITING

Steve Esack of The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., receives $10,000 and the Ernie Pyle Award for a series titled "Yard by Yard" that chronicled a new coach's efforts to rebuild an inner-city high school football team.

Finalists: Lane DeGregory, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times; and Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING

Charles Duhigg of The New York Times receives $10,000 and the Edward J. Meeman Award for the series "Toxic Waters," an investigation of inadequacies in the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act that prompted wide-ranging overhauls in enforcement of the 1970s laws.

Finalists: Abrahm Lustgarten and Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica; and Lewis Kamb, Seth Rosenfeld and Todd Bensman, Hearst Newspapers, for "Chain Saw Scouting"

WASHINGTON REPORTING

Thomas Frank of USA Today receives $10,000 and the Raymond Clapper Award for "Under the Radar," an investigation of a little-known Federal Aviation Administration tax on airline passengers' tickets that revealed how billions of dollars in proceeds are used to fund the world's largest private aviation network.

Finalists: Lizzie O'Leary and Jonathan D. Salant, Bloomberg News, for "Lobbyists: The Invisible Army;" and The Center for Public Integrity for "The Murtha Method"

EDITORIAL CARTOONING

Alex Hunter of The Washington Times receives $10,000 and a trophy for his well-researched satire that merged sequential art with editorial cartoons.

Finalist: Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Rodrigo Abd of The Associated Press receives $10,000 and a trophy for photo essays that shed light on the funeral business in Guatemala and political unrest in Honduras.

Finalists: Emilio Morenatti, The Associated Press; and Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post

BUSINESS/ECONOMICS REPORTING

Michael Braga, Chris Davis and Matthew Doig of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune receive $10,000 and the William Brewster Styles Award for uncovering $10 billion in potential mortgage fraud in Florida.

Finalists: Ken Bensinger, Los Angeles Times; and Ben Poston and John Schmid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, for "Patents Pending"

COMMUNITY JOURNALISM

Daniel Gilbert of the Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier receives $10,000 and a trophy for lifting the lid on a 20-year-old state law that allowed the energy industry to profit without compensating property owners.

Finalist: Emily Alpert, voicesofsandiego.org

RADIO IN-DEPTH REPORTING

Alix Spiegel of National Public Radio receives $10,000 and the Jack R. Howard Award for "How a Bone Disease Grew to Fit the Prescription," which explained how a pharmaceutical manufacturer increased profitability by helping to recast normal, mild bone loss as an ailment, then marketing an unnecessary prescription for it.

No finalist named in this category.

TELEVISION/CABLE IN-DEPTH REPORTING

WFAA-TV, Dallas, receives $10,000 and the Jack R. Howard Award for "Deporting Justice," a series by reporter David Schechter, producer Mark Smith and editor/photographer Kraig Kirchem that revealed thousands of accused felons are routinely deported rather than face criminal prosecution.

Finalists: KMGH-TV, Denver, for "33 Minutes to 34 Right;" and KHOU-TV, Houston, for "Under Fire: Discrimination and Corruption in the Texas National Guard"

COLLEGE CARTOONIST

Christopher Sharron of the Daily Kent Stater at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, receives $10,000 and the Charles M. Schulz Award for a diverse entry of traditional, alternative and humorous editorial cartoons.

Finalists: Bill Richards, The Red and Black, The University of Georgia; and Jake Thompson, The Daily Illini, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

JOURNALISM TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Chris Roush, who teaches classes he developed on business and economics reporting and the media business at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receives $10,000 and the Charles E. Scripps Award for Journalism Education. The award is given in cooperation with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

JOURNALISM ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR

Christopher Callahan, founding dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, receives $10,000 and the Charles E. Scripps Award for Journalism Administration. The award is given in cooperation with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

An awards program book featuring the winners and their work and videos of the winners' work and acceptance speeches will be available online at www.scripps.com/foundation after the April 23 presentation. A printed copy may also be requested.

Dedicated to excellence in journalism, the Scripps Howard Foundation is a leader in industry efforts in journalism education, scholarships, internships, literacy, minority recruitment/development and First Amendment causes.

SOURCE Scripps Howard Foundation