Conscience-in-Media Award

Last updated
Conscience-in-Media Award
Awarded forHonoring "those who have demonstrated singular commitment to the highest principles of journalism at notable personal cost or sacrifice." [1]
Location New York, New York
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Presented by American Society of Journalists and Authors
First awarded1975
Last awarded2018
Website asja.org/For-Writers/ASJAs-Annual-Writing-Awards/Awards-Recipients/Conscience-In-Media

The Conscience-in-Media Award is presented by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) to journalists that the society deems worthy of recognition for their distinctive contributions. The award is not given out often, and is awarded to those journalists which the ASJA feels have demonstrated integrity to journalistic values, while enduring personal costs to themselves. Candidates are decided by an initial vote of the ASJA's First Amendment Committee, which must then be confirmed by a separate vote of the ASJA's board of directors.

Contents

The award has been presented twelve times since the first award was given in 1975. Notable recipients have included Jonathan Kozol, for work researching homelessness while writing his book Rachel and Her Children, Richard Behar and Paulette Cooper, for separate pieces investigating the Church of Scientology, and Anna Rosmus, for her investigation into the Nazi history of her hometown in Passau, Germany. In 2005, the committee voted to present the award to Judith Miller, but this vote was later overturned by a unanimous decision of the board.

History

Jonathan Kozol, recipient of the 1988 award Jonathan Kozol at Pomona College 17 April 2003.jpg
Jonathan Kozol, recipient of the 1988 award

The award is given by the ASJA, to recognize "distinctive contributions by any journalist in any medium". [2] The first award was given to Jerald F. terHorst in 1975, and in total the award has been presented twelve times. [3] The award criteria are stringent. The American Society of Journalists and Authors maintains that those honored must have knowingly taken risks in the course of researching their story, going beyond the normal call of duty. Specifically, the award is given: "for singular commitment to the highest principles of journalism at notable personal cost". [1] [4]

Jonathan Kozol was honored with the 1988 award, for work done on his book Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America. [5] [6] In order to research the plight of homeless people in New York City, Kozol spent the majority of a winter season at the Martinique Hotel in Manhattan, where he grew close with the residents of the government subsidized shelter. [5] [7] During his time spent learning about the experiences of the homeless, he most empathized with homeless mothers - who constantly fear that sickness, poverty or intervention from the state of New York will result in the loss of their children. Kozol attempted to analyze the causes of homelessness, and to provide an estimate of what the future would be for the homeless. [5]

Paulette Cooper received the 1992 award along with Richard Behar. Paulette cooper.jpg
Paulette Cooper received the 1992 award along with Richard Behar.

1992 was the first time in ASJA history in which two writers were honored in the same year. The AJSA had already decided to honor investigative journalist Richard Behar, for his Time magazine article about the Church of Scientology: "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power". [1] Paulette Cooper, a longtime member of the ASJA, had also written about Scientology in her book The Scandal of Scientology , and was the subject of a "fair game" tactic that the Church of Scientology Guardian's Office called "Operation Freakout". [8] [9] As the award was not in existence at the time Cooper wrote her book, the ASJA decided that recognizing Cooper at the same time as Behar emphasized the commitment and courage both writers imbued in the face of risk to themselves. [10]

Anna Rosmus received the 1994 award, in honor of work related to her research on the Nazi past of her hometown in Bavaria. [11] Rosmus researched anti-Semitism, and opposed neo-Nazis and the extreme right in Germany. [12] She also located and published artwork of Jews that had once lived in her hometown of Passau, Germany. [12] As a result of her work, Rosmus endured threats against her life. [13] In a 1996 Yom HaShoah ceremony, Rosmus recounted threats she faced after conducting her research: "Once-friendly neighbors threatened me openly - on the telephone, in person, in letters ... They threatened to kill me and kidnap my children. Some even attacked me physically, a room where I was to speak in Munich was bombed just before I was to be there, and several times I was sued. Nobody ever claimed I had said anything false or made mistakes. They just claimed all this would damage their reputations." [14] Rosmus was profiled on 60 Minutes , and her story was the subject of the 1990 West German drama film, The Nasty Girl . [13] Rosmus was presented with the Conscience-in-Media Award in a special ceremony at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. [15]

In 2005, the ASJA's First Amendment Committee narrowly voted to present Judith Miller with the award, in recognition of her dedication to protecting sources. [16] However, the full board of the ASJA later voted not to accept the decision of its committee, due to its opinion that her career as a whole and her actions in the Valerie Plame CIA leak case had cast doubt on her merits. [16] [17] [18] [19] ASJA president Jack El-Hai stated that the ASJA board's vote to reject the committee's recommendation had been unanimous. [18] This decision sparked controversy, and Jack El-Hai received correspondence both praising the board for its decision, and accusing it of various political motives. [20]

In 2015 three freelance journalists, James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and Austin Tice were honored with the award, presented at the National Press Club. "These three men represent the highest values of journalism: courage, sacrifice and a firm commitment to the truth", said Randy Dotinga, president of ASJA. "Their bravery and dedication are especially inspiring to us as fellow independent writers."

In 2018 the award was bestowed upon Daphne Caruana Galizia, an influential Maltese journalist, who had been threatened numerous times because of her investigative writing about people in high places, and in 2017 was murdered by a bomb placed under her car seat. "In her search for truth and tenacity in presenting it to the public, Daphne Caruana Galizia exemplifies the criteria for the Conscience in Media award", says Sherry Beck Paprocki, ASJA president.

Award recipients

Honoring: "those who have demonstrated singular commitment to the highest principles of journalism at notable personal cost or sacrifice."

—  American Society of Journalists and Authors [1]

Additional source [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology and law</span> Church of Scientology legal cases

The Church of Scientology has been involved in numerous court disputes across the world. In some cases, when the Church has initiated the dispute, questions have been raised as to its motives. The Church of Scientology says that its use of the legal system is necessary to protect its intellectual property and its right to freedom of religion. Critics say that most of the organization's legal claims are designed to harass those who criticize it and its manipulative business practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology controversies</span>

Since its inception in 1954, the Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of controversies, including its stance on psychiatry, Scientology's legitimacy as a religion, the Church's aggressive attitude in dealing with its perceived enemies and critics, allegations of mistreatment of members, and predatory financial practices; for example, the high cost of religious training:191 and perceived exploitative practices. When mainstream media outlets have reported alleged abuses, representatives of the church have tended to deny such allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Kozol</span> American activist and educator

Jonathan Kozol is an American writer, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on public education in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Muscat</span> Former Prime Minister of Malta

Joseph Muscat is a Maltese politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020 and leader of the Labour Party from 2008 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Behar</span> American investigative journalist

Richard Behar is an American investigative journalist. Since 2012, he has been the Contributing Editor of Investigations for Forbes magazine. From 1982 to 2004, he wrote on the staffs of Forbes, Time and Fortune. Behar's work has also been featured on BBC, CNN, PBS, FoxNews.com and Fast Company magazine. He coordinates Project Klebnikov, a media alliance to probe the Moscow murder of Forbes editor Paul Klebnikov. He is writing a book about Bernard Madoff. Behar is editor of Mideast Dig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power</span> 1991 newsmagazine article on Scientology

"The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" is an article, written in 1991 by U.S. investigative journalist Richard Behar, which is highly critical of Scientology. It was first published by Time magazine on May 6, 1991, as an eight-page cover story, and was later published in Reader's Digest in October 1991. Behar had previously published an article on Scientology in Forbes magazine. He stated that he was investigated by attorneys and private investigators affiliated with the Church of Scientology while researching the Time article, and that investigators contacted his friends and family as well. Behar's article covers topics including L. Ron Hubbard and the development of Scientology, its controversies over the years and history of litigation, conflict with psychiatry and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the suicide of Noah Lottick, its status as a religion, and its business dealings.

Scientology has been referenced in popular culture in many different forms of media including fiction, film, music, television and theatre. In the 1960s, author William S. Burroughs wrote about Scientology in both fictional short stories and non-fictional essays. The topic was dealt with more directly in his book, Ali's Smile/Naked Scientology. The 2000 film Battlefield Earth was an adaptation of a novel by L. Ron Hubbard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Freakout</span> Scientology plot to frame Paulette Cooper

Operation Freakout, also known as Operation PC Freakout, was a Church of Scientology covert plan intended to have the U.S. author and journalist Paulette Cooper imprisoned or committed to a psychiatric hospital. The plan, undertaken in 1976 following years of church-initiated lawsuits and covert harassment, was meant to eliminate the perceived threat that Cooper posed to the church and obtain revenge for her publication in 1971 of a highly critical book, The Scandal of Scientology. The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered documentary evidence of the plot and the preceding campaign of harassment during an investigation into the Church of Scientology in 1977, eventually leading to the church compensating Cooper in an out-of-court settlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Rosmus</span> German author and researcher in German history

Anna Rosmus, also known as Anja Rosmus-Wenninger, is a German author and researcher born in 1960 in Passau, Bavaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulette Cooper</span> American journalist and writer (born 1942)

Paulette Cooper is an American author and journalist whose writing against the Church of Scientology resulted in harassment from Scientologists. An early critic of the church, she published The Scandal of Scientology in 1971. She endured many years of attacks from church leadership and their agents, including lawsuits, smear campaigns, overt and covert surveillance, outright threats, and even a criminal frame-up. Church founder and leader L. Ron Hubbard was reportedly obsessed with her and personally plotted against her.

The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers in the United States.

The Church of Scientology publicly classifies itself as a religion, but scholars and other observers regard it as a business, because the organization operates more like a for-profit business than a religious institution. Some scholars of sociology working in religious studies consider it a new religious movement. Overall, as stated by Stephen A. Kent, Scientology can be seen as a "multi-faceted transnational corporation that has religion as only one of its many components. Other components include political aspirations, business ventures, cultural productions, pseudo-medical practices, pseudo-psychiatric claims, and, an alternative family structure."

<i>The Scandal of Scientology</i> Book by Paulette Cooper

The Scandal of Scientology is a critical exposé book about the Church of Scientology, written by Paulette Cooper and published by Tower Publications, in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sweeney (journalist)</span> British investigative journalist and writer

John Paul Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and writer. He worked for The Observer newspaper, and the BBC's Panorama and Newsnight series. Sweeney ceased working for the BBC in October 2019.

Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' association with 145 centres in more than 100 countries. The President of English PEN is Margaret Busby, succeeding Philippe Sands in April 2023. The Director is Daniel Gorman. The Chair is Ruth Borthwick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Ortega</span> American author and journalist monitoring Scientology

Anthony "Tony" Ortega is an American journalist and editor who is best known for his coverage of the Church of Scientology and his blog The Underground Bunker. He was executive editor of Raw Story from 2013 until 2015. Previously, he had been a journalist at the New Times LA, the editor-in-chief of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times from 2005 to 2007, and the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice from 2007 to 2012. In 2015, he was executive editor of the YouTube channel TheLipTV. He is author of the non-fiction book The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, about journalist Paulette Cooper and the Church of Scientology's attempts to silence her after her own book was published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Sotloff</span> American journalist

Steven Joel Sotloff was an American-Israeli journalist. In August 2013, he was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, and held captive by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

Bastian Obermayer is a Pulitzer Prize-winning German investigative journalist with the Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and the reporter who received the Panama Papers from an anonymous source as well as later on the Paradise Papers, together with his colleague Frederik Obermaier. Obermayer is also author of several books, among them the best selling account of the Panama Papers: The Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money, co-authored by his colleague Frederik Obermaier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daphne Caruana Galizia</span> Maltese journalist and blogger (1964–2017)

Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese writer, journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist, who reported on political events in Malta and was known internationally for her investigation of the Panama Papers, and subsequent assassination by car bomb. In particular, she focused on investigative journalism, reporting on government corruption, nepotism, patronage, and allegations of money laundering, links between Malta's online gambling industry and organized crime, Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme, and payments from the government of Azerbaijan. Caruana Galizia's national and international reputation was built on her regular reporting of misconduct by Maltese politicians and politically exposed persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–2020 Maltese protests</span> 2019 protest movement started in Malta

The 2019–2020 Maltese protests started in Valletta and other urban centres of Malta on 20 November 2019, mainly calling for resignations after alleged political links to the assassination of journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia surfaced following the arrest of businessman Yorgen Fenech. The protesters also targeted government corruption and the lack of action on money laundering. The protests consisted of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins, and civil disobedience and have been unprecedented in Malta's political history since its independence from the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Valk, Elizabeth P. (February 24, 1992). "From the Publisher". Time . Time Inc. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  2. ↑ Evans, Glen (1983). The Complete Guide to Writing Non-fiction. Writer's Digest Books. pp. About the ASJA. ISBN   0-89879-117-0.
  3. 1 2 Staff (2007). "ASJA Award Recipients: Outstanding Author Awards". American Society of Journalists and Authors . ASJA. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  4. ↑ Konish, Lorie (June 23, 2003). "Interview with Richard Behar, senior writer at Fortune magazine and recent recipient of the Daniel Pearl Award". The Scoop: Media Relations, Tips, Insights & Opportunities. LexisNexis. Archived from the original on 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Staff. "Jonathan Kozol, Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America (Ballantine, 1988)". Portfolio at NYU. New York University. Archived from the original on 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  6. 1 2 Sleeman, Elizabeth (2003). International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004. 2003. p. 308. ISBN   1-85743-179-0.
  7. ↑ McKinney, Deborah (October 26, 2006). "School segregation not a relic of history, educator argues - KOZOL: Top court has let minority students return to second-class status, activist charges". Anchorage Daily News . p. D1.
  8. ↑ Bercovici, Jeff (2007-06-22). "Xenuphobia, Writer: I Was Stalked by Scientologists". Radar . Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
  9. ↑ Cooper, Paulette (June 2007). "The Scandal of the Scandal of Scientology". Byline.
  10. ↑ Staff (March 12, 1992). "Behar of Time honored with Conscience-in-Media Award for Scientology story". Cult Awareness Network News. (Old) Cult Awareness Network . Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  11. ↑ Klimuska, Ed (February 17, 2003). "Author who documented Nazi horrors to speak at E-town". Lancaster New Era. p. B-1.
  12. 1 2 Thompson Forum (March 7, 2002). "The Thompson Forum Presents Anna Rosmus". E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. A Cooperative Project of The Cooper Foundation and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  13. 1 2 Staff (1999). "Immigrants Who Have Benefited America, American Immigration Law Foundation: Anna Rosmus, Author". AILF - Immigrant Achievement Awards. American Immigration Law Foundation. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  14. ↑ Parker, J. Michael (April 17, 1996). "German says Holocaust still must be faced - Woman uncovered truth about town". San Antonio Express-News .
  15. ↑ Staff (February 14, 2002). "Writer of town's Nazi past to speak at Lied". Lincoln Journal Star . p. B4.
  16. 1 2 E&P Staff (August 3, 2005). "Writers Group Won't Give Judith Miller 'Conscience in Media' Award After All". Editor & Publisher: America's Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry.
  17. ↑ Hargrove, Elaine (Summer 2005). "Reporters Privilege News: New York Times' Judith Miller Released After 85 Days; Dole Suggests Identities Law Not Violated" (PDF). Bulletin. The Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, University of Minnesota. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-29. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  18. 1 2 G., T (August 4, 2005). "For Judy Miller, a prison jumpsuit but no award". Salon . Salon Media Group, Inc.
  19. ↑ Staff (August 3, 2005). "No 'Conscience' award for Times reporter". UPI NewsTrack. United Press International.
  20. ↑ El-Hai, Jack (April 2006). "Messages on the Screen". President's Letter 2006-04. American Society of Journalists and Authors . Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  21. ↑ "James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Austin Tice Named ASJA's Conscience In Media Award Recipients". 2015-09-08.
  22. ↑ Broder, Henryk M.; Sander L. Gilman; Lilian M. Friedberg (2003). A Jew in the New Germany . University of Illinois Press. p. 157. ISBN   0-252-02856-2.
  23. ↑ Ebner, Mark; Andrew Breitbart (2004). Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon - The Case Against Celebrity . John Wiley and Sons. pp.  Page 362. ISBN   0-471-45051-0.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.