RFK CENTER ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2009 ROBERT F. KENNEDY JOURNALISM AWARDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Simone Greggs
202-463-7575, ext. 234
greggs@rfkmemorial.org
Washington, D.C. – The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights has announced winners of the nine professional and four student categories of the 41st Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards. This year's winning journalists attacked diverse subjects including the risks faced by the workers who bring chicken to America's tables, the crackdown on rights and democracy in Russia under Vladimir Putin, the effects of gun violence in the United States and Guatemala, and new evidence about the conviction that led to the longest stretch of solitary confinement endured by any prisoner in modern U.S. history.
The RFK Journalism Awards honors outstanding reporting on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy's concerns, including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. Winning pieces examine the causes, conditions and remedies of injustice and analyze relevant public policies and attitudes and private endeavors. The winning entries were selected by a panel of 40 judges in several rounds. The Journalism Committee, comprised of five advisors, chose the grand prize winner from the first place contenders in each category.
The RFK Journalism Awards will be presented at a ceremony on Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 6:00 PM at George Washington University in Washington, DC. The Grand Prize winner will be announced at the ceremony. Winners receive a cash prize and a bust of Robert Kennedy created by Robert Berks. For more details on the event, please visit www.rfkcenter.org.
The winners of the 41st Annual RFK Journalism Awards:
Domestic Print Winner: "The Cruelest Cuts", Staff Reporters, Charlotte Observer: Based on exhaustive research, this report exposes how the poultry industry ignored and threatened workers injured on the job, while creating an illusion of safety inside their plants. These companies employed practices which boosted profits while jeopardizing the health of thousands of vulnerable poultry workers. The investigation built an air-tight case against a private company resulting in federal and state investigations and tougher labor legislation. This is the third RFK win for the Observer.
International Print Winner: "Kremlin Rules", Clifford J. Levy, New York Times:
Levy's articles describe how Russia's leaders have eroded democracy and human rights. Mr. Levy engaged Russian citizens in the discussion of the government's actions by translating the articles into Russian and posting them on the NY Times website. The results informed readers globally on how far Russia has strayed from its post-Soviet promises of freedom and democracy.
Domestic Photography Winner: "Too Young to Die" by Carlos Javier Ortiz, freelancer: Featured in Ebony Magazine, this series examines the epidemic of gun violence which not only plagues lower-income, urban neighborhoods, but youth from all walks of American life. Ortiz' artistry and sensitivity delivers a powerful look at a tough subject.
International Photography: "Birth and Death", Carol Guzy, Washington Post: With one in eight women dying in childbirth, Sierra Leone has the world's highest rate of maternal mortality. Carol Guzy beautifully and movingly captures the pain, desperation and grief experienced by family members dealing with the loss of a young mother, a child, or often both. She amplifies the need for adequate medical care and supplies to stem the avoidable deaths. Guzy is a multiple RFK Award winner.
Domestic Television Winner: "Torturing Democracy", Sherry Jones, Washington Media Associates: Meticulous reporting unravels the inside story of how torture was adopted by the U.S. government as official policy in the aftermath of 9/11. With exclusive interviews, explosive documents and rare archival footage, the documentary has been called the definitive broadcast account of a deeply troubling chapter in recent American history.
International Television Winner: "War in DR Congo", Marc Rosenwasser, Michael J. Kavanagh, Taylor Krauss and Lisa Biagiotti, World Focus: Through incisive journalism, this report honors the victims of a humanitarian crisis often ignored in U.S. journalism. Over 5 million people have died, mostly from preventable disease and starvation, in Congo's decade-long civil war. In the last year alone, more than a million people have fled the fighting. Such staggering data on death and displacement in the region often overshadows the personal stories of human suffering, which this report brings to life.
Domestic Radio Winner: "36 Years of Solitary: Murder, Death and Justice in Angola", Laura Sullivan, National Public Radio: This investigation examines a four decade-old murder of a young popular guard at Louisiana's notorious Angola prison. Two men were convicted after a racially charged investigation and sentenced to life. Prison officials placed them both in solitary confinement for the next 36 years. This is the longest any inmate has spent in isolation in the United States. Laura Sullivan unearthed new evidence suggesting their conviction may have been the result of a 36 year cover-up and terrible injustice.
Cartoon Winner: Jack Ohman, The Oregonian: Ohman's cartoons tackle a range of difficult topics including poverty and unemployment in Oregon, the practice of shuffling Oregon teachers suspected of molesting children to other schools, rising college tuition costs, and human rights in China. From civil rights to the election of our nation's first black President, from ethanol to the struggles of American families in the economic downturn, his graphic journalism on behalf of the downtrodden exudes an insightful sensitivity.
College Print Winner: "Divided Families", Cronkite Depth Reporting Class, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Arizona State University: In a semester long project, students took more than 30 trips to the border, deep into Mexico and to various parts of Arizona to trace the stories of families divided by U.S. immigration policies. Their reports illustrated how families are directly affected by such public policy. The reports continue to be an asset for educators, policy makers and others interested in the social consequences of immigration.
College Broadcast Winner: "Out of the Shadows", Sue Kopen Katcef, WMUC Radio at the University of Maryland: A courageous in-depth look at the problem of rape on the University of Maryland campus presents the victims' stories while also examining the issue through the eyes of young college men. The broadcast shines a light on the culture that, in part, helps to perpetuate the problem while asking the question "Where's the justice?."
High School Print: "Cancer Cannot Silence Dr. Bob's Courage", Ryan Firle, Francis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Missouri: Profiling a doctor facing the pending death of two young patients from cancer, the article gives insight into the struggles of seriously ill children through the eyes of someone working closely with them. Francis Howell North High has produced other RFK winning pieces in the past.
High School Broadcast: "More Than Just Food", Jacqui Powell and Laura Pait, Elizabethtown High School, Elizabethtown, Kentucky: This broadcast showcases the WJCR Food Ministry in central Kentucky. Located in an area of Kentucky, where 1 out of 4 people live in poverty, the ministry feeds over 600 needy families per month. The report examines how people depend on WCJR not just for the food but for the love and compassion they receive there.
The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards were founded by a group of journalists covering RFK's 1968 Presidential campaign and have grown to become the largest program of its kind and one of few in which the winners are determined by their peers. The annual awards honor exceptional investigative reporting which, in the spirit of Robert F. Kennedy, brings a voice to those affected by injustice, abuse and violations of rights.
Media Contact:
Simone Greggs
202-463-7575 ext 234
Email:greggs@rfkmemorial.org
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The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) was founded in 1968 by Robert Kennedy's family and friends as a living memorial to carry forward his vision of a more just and peaceful world. Today the impact of the RFK Center extends around the globe, through cutting-edge programs promoting human rights and social justice and empowering new generations of leaders.
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