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Block Award Honors Work to Clear the Innocent
The second Herbert Block Freedom Award, named for the late political cartoonist who was one of The Newspaper Guild's longest tenured members, will be presented May 6 to Northwestern University journalism professor David Protess and his students in the Medill Innocence Project.
The prize is awarded annually by TNG-CWA to those who best exemplify Herblock's devotion to free speech, his compassion for the weak and disadvantaged and his distrust of unbridled power. Last year's winner was freelancer Vanessa Leggett, who spent 168 days in jail - by far the longest contempt-of-court sentence ever served by an American journalist - for refusing to surrender notes of jailhouse interviews.
Protess and his students have come to the attention of the media over the years for using basic reporting skills to uncover evidence exonerating death-row inmates in Illinois. Their work was a factor in Gov. George Ryan's decision in January to commute the sentences of more than 150 of the state's death-row prisoners to life in prison without parole.
In 1996, three of Protess' students found crucial evidence and got a witness to admit that police coerced her into testifying falsely against four defendants known as the Ford Heights 4. Three years later, another group of Protess' students turned up enough evidence to exonerate Anthony Porter just days ahead of his scheduled execution.
"A free man ran into the arms of Northwestern University's Dave Protess, who had poured his heart and soul into proving Porter's innocence," Ryan said.
The Freedom Award will be presented May 6 at the TNG-CWA Freedom Award Fund banquet at the Hyatt Regency Washington. Hosted by Bob Edwards of National Public Radio, the event also honors the winners of the Heywood Broun Award and David S. Barr scholarships.
The prize is awarded annually by TNG-CWA to those who best exemplify Herblock's devotion to free speech, his compassion for the weak and disadvantaged and his distrust of unbridled power. Last year's winner was freelancer Vanessa Leggett, who spent 168 days in jail - by far the longest contempt-of-court sentence ever served by an American journalist - for refusing to surrender notes of jailhouse interviews.
Protess and his students have come to the attention of the media over the years for using basic reporting skills to uncover evidence exonerating death-row inmates in Illinois. Their work was a factor in Gov. George Ryan's decision in January to commute the sentences of more than 150 of the state's death-row prisoners to life in prison without parole.
In 1996, three of Protess' students found crucial evidence and got a witness to admit that police coerced her into testifying falsely against four defendants known as the Ford Heights 4. Three years later, another group of Protess' students turned up enough evidence to exonerate Anthony Porter just days ahead of his scheduled execution.
"A free man ran into the arms of Northwestern University's Dave Protess, who had poured his heart and soul into proving Porter's innocence," Ryan said.
The Freedom Award will be presented May 6 at the TNG-CWA Freedom Award Fund banquet at the Hyatt Regency Washington. Hosted by Bob Edwards of National Public Radio, the event also honors the winners of the Heywood Broun Award and David S. Barr scholarships.