LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- Reporters and editors from The Washington Post have won the 2006 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting for their series exposing illegal activities and corruption surrounding Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
It is the second consecutive award for the Washington Post, which won in 2005 for its investigation of lead contamination in the District of Columbia water supply and the failure of public officials to inform and protect residents.
The $35,000 annual prize, presented by the School of Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, recognizes the year's outstanding work in investigative journalism that led to direct results.
Beginning in 2004 and throughout 2005, the Washington Post's Susan Schmidt, James V. Grimaldi, and R. Jeffrey Smith reported and published dozens of articles exposing political corruption and illegal activities by Abramoff and his firm.
The Post's investigation into Abramoff ultimately led to government investigations that resulted in criminal indictments against him leading to his guilty plea on Jan. 3, 2006. The investigation led U.S. House majority leader Rep. Tom DeLay to resign his congressional leadership position in 2005 and several other members of Congress and congressional aides have been indicted or are under investigation.
"The fall of Abramoff exposed what may be the biggest case of congressional corruption in decades," wrote the judges. "If not for The Post's dogged investigative reporting, the web of corrupt relationships, secret deals and cynical manipulation of the political system might still be thriving in the dark corners of the nation's capital."
"Since first uncovering Abramoff's dealings in 2004, The Post's reporters have stayed ahead of federal investigators in revealing the scope and nature of this corruption. The Post refused to bend to either political power or to the complexity of its reporting challenge. The result is not only the exposure of individual misdeeds, but of a system in need of reform. This is watchdog journalism at its finest," they added.
"The founders of our nation recognized that a free press is a safeguard for democracy," said Michael Parks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning former editor of the Los Angeles Times who now serves as director of USC Annenberg's School of Journalism. "The exceptional reporting by The Washington Post and the other finalists demonstrate the importance of the work and commitment by news organizations to serving the public and holding our public institutions accountable."
In addition to the Washington Post, judges honored three other news organizations for their outstanding work, recognizing them as finalists for the 2006 Selden Ring Award:
- Copley News Service. Reporters Marcus A. Stern and Jerry Kammer were recognized for their stories that led to the resignation of California Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham amid charges of bribery and corruption. The judges wrote that their work was "a classic example of how reporters' curiosity and initiative can result in watchdog reporting at its best."
- Small Newspaper Group. Reporter Scott Reeder was recognized for his story showing the near impossibility of firing a teacher in the Illinois public schools. Reeder made 1500 Freedom of Information requests of every public school in Illinois and found an alarming pattern of schools being unable, or unwilling to get rid of bad teachers.
- South Florida Sun Sentinel. Reporters Sally Kestin, Megan O'Matz, John Maines and Jon Burstein were honored for "FEMA: A Legacy of Waste." From the judges: "Long before Hurricane Katrina focused attention on failures at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Sun-Sentinel exposed through relentless national reporting widespread fraud, waste and mismanagement plaguing the agency. The stories prompted more than two dozen indictments, state and federal audits, and federal bills to revamp disaster assistance."
"Investigative reporting is one of the most serious responsibilities that American journalists have, and this year's Selden Ring entries show that news organizations, large and small, take it seriously," said Parks.
In April, members of the Washington Post team will come to Los Angeles for the award presentation, meet with students, and participate in a symposium on investigative journalism.
The 2005 Selden Ring Award was selected by a distinguished panel of reporters, editors and journalism school faculty including Stephen Berry, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and current professor at the University of Iowa's School of Journalism & Mass Communication; David Boardman, managing editor, The Seattle Times, and president, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Inc.; Lorraine Branham, director, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin; Murray Fromson, professor, USC Annenberg School for Communication; Martin Kaiser, editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Mark Katches, senior team leader/County, State & Investigations, The Orange County Register; Chris Peck, editor, The Commercial Appeal and former president, Associated Press Managing Editors (APME); and Nancy Stancill, government editor, The Charlotte Observer.
The Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting was established in 1989 by the late Selden Ring, a Southern California business leader and philanthropist. He started the award to honor journalists whose investigative reporting informed the public about major problems or corruption in society and yielded concrete results.
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CONTACT: Geoffrey Baum, USC Annenberg Public Affairs, 213-821-1491
ANOUT THE SCHOOL: Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the USC Annenberg School for Communication (http://www.annenberg.usc.edu ) is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. With an enrollment of more than 1,900 graduate and undergraduate students, USC Annenberg offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations.
Media Contact: See above.
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