Journalists Win National Press Foundation Awards for Excellence

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Press Foundation has announced recipients of some of the most prestigious awards in journalism. The winners will be honored at NPF's annual awards dinner Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C.

• Gilbert Bailon, editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, will receive the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award for guiding his news organization through the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and the tumultuous aftermath. "If ever a newspaper and its editor faced a real-time stress test it was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and editor Gilbert Bailon," the NPF judges said.
• Alberto Ibargüen, President of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will receive the W.M. Kiplinger Award for Distinguished Contributions to Journalism. NPF judges said, "Alberto Ibargüen has been one of the world's leading champions of journalism excellence and innovation" at the Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald and now the Knight Foundation.

More NPF awards recognize excellence for specific news coverage.

Gregory Johnsen, John Stanton and Kate Nocera of BuzzFeed News will receive an Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Coverage of Congress. NPF judges cited BuzzFeed News' "magisterial account of a 60-word congressional resolution that authorized military action against those responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. BuzzFeed captures the historic drama of that moment and all that has happened since. The details are unforgettable."

Drew Griffin of CNN also won an Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Coverage of Congress. Griffin's year-long project, "Congress for Sale," focused on the money game on Capitol Hill. NPF judges said: "Drew Griffin produced a profound series of pieces illuminating the dark side of elected officials and big business. It succinctly explained how members of Congress abuse enormous amounts of money for personal gain. It took the veil off the relationship between lobbyists, politicians, and the town they work in."

Thomas Frank of USA Today is awarded NPF's "Feddie" award for explaining how federal policy affects local government, in an extraordinary investigation into a rash of small aircraft crashes and fatalities. "Frank discloses how defective parts and unsafe aircraft, often concealed from the public and government regulators, contribute to these deaths," the judges said.

Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times Free Press will receive the Clifford K. and James T. Berryman Award for Editorial Cartooning. NPF judges cited "elegant simplicity in Clay Bennett's work – clear drawings, clear messages. Bennett's style is disarming and charming with a strong bite underneath."

Re/code, the website led by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, will receive the Excellence in Online Journalism Award. The judges said, "Re/code's coverage of technology is exceptional in its breadth. Lots of original reviews and smart commentary inform top-notch reporting on an industry that changes constantly."

Heather Dahl, chairman of the NPF Board of Directors, said the work of the award winners is a celebration of the value of journalism. "These awards are a testament to the vitality of what we do in society. I very much hope that in our recognition of the winners' contributions to journalism and society, these awards and their work will inspire others to reach higher and dig deeper in their reporting," she said.

For more information on the winners and their work, go to NPF's website.

The National Press Foundation is a nonprofit journalism organization that conducts all-expenses-paid programs for journalists in the U.S., internationally and online, and hosts a robust collection of reporting resources on its website.

The awards will be presented at NPF's 32^nd annual gala awards dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the Washington Hilton Hotel. For dinner information contact Jessica Jean-Francois at [email protected], or call 202-663-7282.

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SOURCE National Press Foundation

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