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TNG-CWA to Honor Journalists Whose Work Reflects Spirit, Principles of Union's Activists
Washington, D.C. – The Newspaper Guild-CWA will honor journalists whose work reflects the principles and integrity of three leading TNG activists -- Herbert L. Block, Heywood Broun and David S. Barr -- at the annual Freedom Award Fund dinner on Wednesday, March 30 in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill Media planning to cover the event should contact Shear Reich at 202-368-3838.
The event recognizes journalists' work that demonstrates the commitment to a free press long championed by "Herblock" in his creative editorial cartooning, the dedication to social justice and compassion pursued by Broun, TNG-CWA's founder, and the commitment to fairness pursued by Barr, TNG-CWA's attorney and mentor of 25 years.
Former longtime UPI correspondent and White House bureau chief Helen Thomas, currently a Hearst newspapers columnist, will deliver a keynote address. Radio icon Bob Edwards, current host of "the Bob Edwards Show" on XM Public Radio and former host of NPR's "Morning Edition" will serve as master of ceremonies; CWA President Morton Bahr and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney also will attend.
Linda Foley, president of TNG-CWA, said the winning journalists demonstrated the tenacity and dedication to social justice that has been the driving force of the Newspaper Guild. "Herblock, Broun and David Barr fought for compassion, for justice and for a free press. They knew that government and institutions must be blocked from over-reaching and over-extending their power. That spirit is present today in the work of these journalists," she said.
The men and women of The New York Times were awarded the Herbert Block Freedom Award, for their fight to uphold the principle of news source confidentiality. The award includes a $5,000 grant.
In the past year, the confidential sources of four Times journalists – Judith Miller, Philip Shenon, Jeff Gerth and James Risen – have been sought through subpoenas. Three have been subject to court sanctions and one currently faces jail time as the government continues to seek their phone records, notes and records of conversations in several cases.
The New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., said the newspaper was honored to be recognized with the Herbert Block Freedom Award and stressed that "given all that is at stake, the American public needs to know much more – not a lot less – about the major issues of the day. It is therefore imperative that all news media organizations become even more vigilant in our efforts to protect the First Amendment and the free flow of information in this nation."
This year's winner of the 2004 Heywood Broun Award is David S. Fallis, a reporter for The Washington Post. He was recognized for a four part series on Virginia's "assisted living industry," a patchwork of more than 600 privately run homes for disabled adults who have nowhere else to live. His work "gave a voice to tens of thousands of disabled adults…remarkable work by one reporter that clearly exemplifies the spirit of Heywood Broun," the judges said. The award includes a plaque and a $5,000 prize.
Also honored were two entries cited for "substantial distinction," each to be awarded a certificate and $1,000 prize. In the print category, the judges recognized a series by Kevin Fagan of the San Francisco Chronicle that examined homelessness in the city, along with successes and failures in efforts to deal with the problem. The judges also singled out a broadcast entry from ABC News PrimeTime, reported by Diane Sawyer and produced by Robbie Gordon, that questioned the quality of care delivered by Veterans Administration hospitals.
The Broun award winners were selected from among 133 entries from across the United States and Canada.
Winners of the David S. Barr Award for high school and college journalists are Bana Varnon, Dayton High School, Dayton, Tex., and Virginia Moore, a student at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., Varnon was honored with a $500 scholarship for her determination to defend her First Amendment rights as editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper. Moore was recognized with a $1,500 scholarship for her reporting on unfair labor practices committed by manufacturers of popular clothing lines.
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The Communications Workers of America represents more than 700,000 workers in media and information technology, telecommunications, printing and publishing, public employment, health care, higher education, airlines and manufacturing.
The event recognizes journalists' work that demonstrates the commitment to a free press long championed by "Herblock" in his creative editorial cartooning, the dedication to social justice and compassion pursued by Broun, TNG-CWA's founder, and the commitment to fairness pursued by Barr, TNG-CWA's attorney and mentor of 25 years.
Former longtime UPI correspondent and White House bureau chief Helen Thomas, currently a Hearst newspapers columnist, will deliver a keynote address. Radio icon Bob Edwards, current host of "the Bob Edwards Show" on XM Public Radio and former host of NPR's "Morning Edition" will serve as master of ceremonies; CWA President Morton Bahr and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney also will attend.
Linda Foley, president of TNG-CWA, said the winning journalists demonstrated the tenacity and dedication to social justice that has been the driving force of the Newspaper Guild. "Herblock, Broun and David Barr fought for compassion, for justice and for a free press. They knew that government and institutions must be blocked from over-reaching and over-extending their power. That spirit is present today in the work of these journalists," she said.
The men and women of The New York Times were awarded the Herbert Block Freedom Award, for their fight to uphold the principle of news source confidentiality. The award includes a $5,000 grant.
In the past year, the confidential sources of four Times journalists – Judith Miller, Philip Shenon, Jeff Gerth and James Risen – have been sought through subpoenas. Three have been subject to court sanctions and one currently faces jail time as the government continues to seek their phone records, notes and records of conversations in several cases.
The New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., said the newspaper was honored to be recognized with the Herbert Block Freedom Award and stressed that "given all that is at stake, the American public needs to know much more – not a lot less – about the major issues of the day. It is therefore imperative that all news media organizations become even more vigilant in our efforts to protect the First Amendment and the free flow of information in this nation."
This year's winner of the 2004 Heywood Broun Award is David S. Fallis, a reporter for The Washington Post. He was recognized for a four part series on Virginia's "assisted living industry," a patchwork of more than 600 privately run homes for disabled adults who have nowhere else to live. His work "gave a voice to tens of thousands of disabled adults…remarkable work by one reporter that clearly exemplifies the spirit of Heywood Broun," the judges said. The award includes a plaque and a $5,000 prize.
Also honored were two entries cited for "substantial distinction," each to be awarded a certificate and $1,000 prize. In the print category, the judges recognized a series by Kevin Fagan of the San Francisco Chronicle that examined homelessness in the city, along with successes and failures in efforts to deal with the problem. The judges also singled out a broadcast entry from ABC News PrimeTime, reported by Diane Sawyer and produced by Robbie Gordon, that questioned the quality of care delivered by Veterans Administration hospitals.
The Broun award winners were selected from among 133 entries from across the United States and Canada.
Winners of the David S. Barr Award for high school and college journalists are Bana Varnon, Dayton High School, Dayton, Tex., and Virginia Moore, a student at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., Varnon was honored with a $500 scholarship for her determination to defend her First Amendment rights as editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper. Moore was recognized with a $1,500 scholarship for her reporting on unfair labor practices committed by manufacturers of popular clothing lines.
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The Communications Workers of America represents more than 700,000 workers in media and information technology, telecommunications, printing and publishing, public employment, health care, higher education, airlines and manufacturing.