So when I arrived home at my Oakland cottage yesterday I opened up my mailbox. I was surprised to find a letter addressed to me from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Dear Cyrus Farivar,
Recently, your story “Green-Collar Crime: How I Stopped an Internet Sex Hoax,” came to my attention. This is the type of story that the Mongerson Prize for Investigateive Reporting on the News honors. Since 2002, the Mongerson Prize has recognized reporters for serving both the journalism industry and the public by setting the record straight.
Past winners have included:
- Michael Massing of The New York Review of Books won the 2005 Mongerson Prize for his analysis of the failings of the media in reporting about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
- Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post for exposing Jayson Blair’s fabrications while at The New York Times
- John Stossel and Kristina Kendall’s “20/20” segment, “Extreme Reality,” that examined the media’s tendency to overstate problems like road rage and shark attacks.
- Baltimore Sun media reporter David Folkenflik’s investigation of Fox News Channel reporter Geraldo Rivera’s coverage of the war in Afghanistan.
More information about the prize, including the 2005 winner, is available on the Mongerson Prize Web site: www.mongersonprize.org.
The 2006 Mongerson Prize will present two $5,000 awards: one for print media, and one for television, radio and online media. In addition, $1,000 Awards of Distinction will be awarded.
The deadline for submitting entries from calendar year 2005 is Feb. 28, 2006. I’ve included an entry form as well as a flier about the prize. I hope you will consider submitting an entry for the 2006 Mongerson Prize competition.
Sincerely,
Ellen Shearer
William F. Thomas Professor of Journalism
Assistant Dean and Co-Director, Medill News Service
Medill School of Journalism
