Home >
About LIU >
News & Events >
George Polk Awards >
Previous Award Winners
Previous Award Winners
2009 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
George Polk Career Award
Gene Roberts, for his extraordinary contributions as a reporter, author, teacher and editor. Roberts served as executive editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 18 years. Under his leadership, the paper won seven Polk Awards and 17 Pulitzer Prizes.
George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting
New York Times correspondent David Rohde, for “Held by the Taliban,” a five-part series in which the veteran reporter detailed his seven-month ordeal as a prisoner of the Taliban.
http://projects.nytimes.com/held-by-the-taliban
George Polk Award for Videography
The anonymous individuals responsible for recording the shooting death of 26-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan at a June protest in Tehran, Iran, and uploading the video to the Internet. The video became a rallying point for the reformist opposition in Iran.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9oltq_neda-agha-soltan-shot-in-iran_news
George Polk Award for National Reporting
Bloomberg News reporters Mark Pittman, Bob Ivry, Alison Fitzgerald and Craig Torres, for a series of stories that demanded accountability from the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board regarding the trillions of dollars that went toward bank bailouts.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aGq2B3XeGKok
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=axd4zwYGfdv0
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=armOzfkwtCA4
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7CC61ZsieV4
George Polk Award for State Reporting
Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, for relentless coverage of Wisconsin’s broken child-care program – a $350-million system that was a hotbed of criminal activity and repeatedly put children in danger.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/38617217.html
George Polk Award for Local Reporting
George Pawlaczyk and Beth Hundsdorfer of the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, for a gripping series that revealed the excessively harsh conditions inside an Illinois “supermax” prison.
http://www.bnd.com/600
George Polk Award for Sports Reporting
Alan Schwarz of The New York Times, for his influential report on the long-term dangers of concussions and the National Football League’s handling of such brain injuries.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/football/head_injuries/index.html
George Polk Award for International Television Reporting
CNN correspondent Dan Rivers and producers Kit Swartz, Kocha Olarn and Theerasak Nitipiched, for a segment that tracked the nightmarish existence of Rohingya refugees in southeast Asia.
http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/untoldstories/blog/2009/02/forgotten-people.html
George Polk Award for National Television Reporting
Correspondent Steve Kroft and producer Leslie Cockburn of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” for a compelling segment that detailed Wall Street’s growing influence on oil prices.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4713382n
George Polk Award for Business Reporting
Kathy Chu of USA Today, for coverage that documented how banks and credit unions have used steep fees and unscrupulous credit card practices to profit tens of billions of dollars each year off vulnerable customers.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2008-12-15-credit-card-consumer-squeeze_N.htm
George Polk Award for Military Reporting
Charlie Reed, Kevin Baron and Leo Shane III with Stars and Stripes, for a riveting series that revealed that the Pentagon had used a public relations company to profile journalists and steer them toward positive coverage of the war in Afghanistan.
http://www.stripes.com/go/profiling
George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting
David Grann of The New Yorker, for a story that presented what may be the first thoroughly documented case of the execution of an innocent man under the modern American judicial system.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann
George Polk Award for Environmental Reporting
Abrahm Lustgarten of ProPublica, for documenting the deadly side effects of hydraulic fracturing, a natural gas-drilling process involving water — laden with carcinogenic contaminants — being shot underground to blast away at gas-bearing rock.
http://www.propublica.org/series/buried-secrets-gas-drillings-environmental-threat
2008 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
The George Polk Career Award will be bestowed upon acclaimed journalist and author Gay Talese. The son of an Italian immigrant father, who was a tailor, and a mother who was a buyer for a Brooklyn department store, Mr. Talese was raised in Ocean City, N.J., and began his career as a copy boy for The New York Times. He worked as a reporter for The Times from 1956 to 1965 and has continued to write for the newspaper as well as for Esquire, The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine and a multitude of other national publications. The 77-year-old Talese has influenced a generation of writers with his deftly understated, reportorial style and an eye and ear for the unusual. His 1966 Esquire magazine essay, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," remains a classic example of what became known as "the new journalism" - an inventive form of nonfiction writing. In addition to works published in newspapers and magazines, Talese has authored numerous books including: "The Bridge," which details the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City; "Thy Neighbor's Wife," a best seller about the 1970s sexual revolution; and "Honor Thy Father," which became a 1973 television feature film about life in the Bonanno organized crime family.
http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/talese/index.html
Two New York Times correspondents will share the George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting. Husband-and-wife team Barry Bearak and Celia W. Dugger, both previous Polk Award winners and co-bureau chiefs in Johannesburg, South Africa, risked their freedom and their lives in Zimbabwe to expose the violence that shook that country in the wake of disputed elections as the corrupt government of President Robert Mugabe clung to power. Even after Bearak, who is also the winner of a Pulitzer Prize, spent five days in jail for "committing journalism," the reporters continued to file dozens of stories that painted a vivid picture of the repression, disease and hunger that still torment the once-promising African nation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/world/africa/07zimbabwe.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22in%20crisis,%20zimbabwe%20asks%22%20&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/africa/27bearak.html?scp=1&sq=%22in%20zimbabwe%20jail%22%20%20&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/world/africa/16zimbabwe.html?scp=34&sq=zimbabwe%20and%202008&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/world/africa/22zimbabwe.html?scp=1&sq=%22as%20zimbabwe's%20election%20nears%22%20%20&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/world/africa/04zimbabwe.html?scp=8&sq=zimbabwe%20and%202008&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/world/africa/27mbeki.html?scp=1&sq=%22complex%20ties%20lead%20african%20ally%22%20&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/world/africa/02zimbabwe.html?scp=90&sq=zimbabwe%20and%202008&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/world/africa/19zimbabwe.html?scp=47&sq=zimbabwe%20and%202008&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/world/africa/12cholera.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=zimbabwe%20and%202008&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/world/africa/22zimbabwe.html?scp=2&sq=zimbabwe%20and%202008&st=cse
Paul Salopek of the Chicago Tribune will receive the George Polk Award for International Reporting for uncovering the rarely publicized but more controversial aspects of America's war on terror in the Horn of Africa, an expanse that includes Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. In three reports from remote and lawless regions, he described the beleaguered efforts of the United States military to pre-empt an anticipated surge of radical Islamist activity. His accounts also depicted growing anti-American sentiment and accusations of secret rendition and prison programs in the region. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Salopek himself was beaten and imprisoned while covering the conflict in Sudan in 2006, enduring a nine-day hunger strike to protest prison conditions. He and two colleagues were freed following intervention by U.S. government officials including then-Senator Barack Obama, who advocated for Salopek from Chad when he was not granted a visa to enter Sudan.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-africa-shadow-war,0,2738005.storygallery
Former Polk Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winner David Barstow of The New York Times will receive the George Polk Award for National Reporting. His two-part series, "Message Machine," documented the way in which the Bush administration waged a covert campaign to transform retired military officers working as analysts for television and radio networks into defense-industry rainmakers who influenced the awarding of contracts for military equipment used in the Iraq War, while also influencing public opinion. Fighting legal red tape for almost two years, Barstow revealed that these ostensibly "independent analysts," who appeared on TV continuously, not only repeated Administration talking points regardless of their own doubts, but also used their time on air as well as their special access to military leaders to advance undisclosed interests with defense contractors who were paying them sizeable fees to serve as consultants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/washington/20generals.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=%22message%20machine%22%20and%20barstow%20&st=cse
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/washington/30general.html?scp=5&sq=%22message%20machine%22%20and%20barstow%20&st=cse
The George Polk Award for Military Reporting will be bestowed upon the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's chief investigative reporter Eric Nalder for his two-part series, "Demoted to Private: America's Military Housing Disaster." Nalder, also a Pulitzer Prize winner, revealed that the Defense Department, after conducting little or no due diligence, awarded a billion dollars in contracts to a politically connected consortium as part of an effort to privatize military housing construction. The result was the loss of millions of taxpayer dollars after a then-Dallas-based company in the consortium failed to construct housing it was slated to complete in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri and Washington.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/militaryhousing/
The George Polk Award for Local Reporting will go to Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick of the Detroit Free Press for investigative reporting that led to the resignation and jailing of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The two unearthed graphic text messages and other evidence revealing that the mayor, while testifying in a police whistle-blower case, lied under oath about a sexual relationship he had with his chief of staff. To break the case open, the reporters filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that was heard by the Michigan Supreme Court. The investigation eventually led to the discovery of a secret deal struck by the mayor in which $8.4 million in taxpayer money was used to settle the whistler-blower case in exchange for destroying the incriminating messages. Kilpatrick, who must repay $1 million, spent 99 days in prison after pleading guilty to two felonies and no contest to a third. His aide also pleaded guilty and was jailed on two felony counts.
http://www.freep.com/kilpatrick
Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Times will receive the George Polk Award for Labor Reporting. His work revealed potential corruption within the nation's fastest-growing labor union. Pringle exposed the fact that hundreds of thousands of dollars were flowing from the 160,000 mostly low-wage members of the Los Angeles chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and a related charity to firms owned by family members of the local's president. The coverage triggered the firing of the Union official and the launch of federal investigations, which remain underway. In addition, Pringle's work fueled legal inquiries that spread across the state and into Michigan, where the president of another SEIU chapter also was ousted.
http://www.latimes.com/seiu
The George Polk Award for Justice Reporting will go to Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin for their five-part series, "Reasonable Doubt," published in Mesa, Arizona's East Valley Tribune. Gabrielson, still a reporter at the Tribune, and Giblin, who now reports for The Arizona Guardian, scrutinized Sheriff Joe Arpaio's campaign against illegal immigrants in Phoenix and other parts of the state's Maricopa County. They reported blatant violations of federal regulations intended to prevent racial profiling, and they exposed slow responses to emergencies, lax criminal enforcement and suspiciously high rates of overtime by the police department. While Arpaio continues to appear on the Fox Reality Channel's "Smile...You're Under Arrest!" the Tribune report is being used by the Arizona state legislature to review anti-immigrant policies.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/page/reasonable_doubt
The George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting will be presented to investigative reporter Richard Behar for his article, "China Storms Africa," published in Fast Company, the innovative business magazine. Behar, who won a Polk Award in 1995, detailed the size and the scope of China's drive to invest in sub-Saharan Africa, which encompasses 49 countries and represents one-fifth of the earth's landmass, in order to acquire the raw materials it needs for manufacturing. He equated China's aggressiveness in the attainment of these resources to a parasite that "invades and depletes its host" and characterized it as "one of the most bare-knuckled resource grabs the world has ever seen."
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/126/special-report-china-in-africa.html
Winning the George Polk Award for Environmental Reporting are Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Their six-part series, "Chemical Fallout: A Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report," castigated the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for failing to monitor, regulate and ultimately ban potential toxins found in everyday materials, from "microwave safe" plastics to baby bottles. Their reports about chemicals such as bisphenol A, or BPA, which causes neurological and developmental damage in laboratory animals, reverberated from the halls of Congress to homes and schools across America.
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/34405049.html
The George Polk Award for Sports Reporting will go to Ken Armstrong, who previously won a Polk Award in 1999, and Nick Perry, both of The Seattle Times, for "Victory and Ruins." Their four-part series focused on the tainted triumph of the University of Washington's 2001 Rose Bowl football team and revealed that at least two dozen team members were allowed to continue to play despite having been arrested - some for violent felonies - while enrolled at the school. Exposing the exceptions that were made and the crimes that were ignored, Armstrong and Perry provided an incisive look into the often, permissive culture of college football.
http://www.seattletimes.com/victoryandruins
The George Polk Award for Television Reporting will be presented to CBS News "60 Minutes" correspondent and Emmy Award-winner Scott Pelley, producer Solly Granatstein and co-producer Nicole Young for "The Wasteland." In this segment, the trio divulged how some American companies that are paid to recycle electronic waste have instead dumped it in China, which has led to environmental despoliation and severe health risks. After the "60 Minutes" crew tracked a Denver recycling company's shipment to southern China, the firm lost its contract and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began investigating dozens of other suspect recycling businesses.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/06/60minutes/main4579229.shtml?source=search_story
The George Polk Award for Documentary Reporting will be given to Stefan Forbes, the independent producer and director of "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story," a riveting, comic, disturbing and insightful portrait of the Republican operative from South Carolina who also was a passionate musician. Packed full of archival footage, as well as blunt and often shocking commentary by Washington political heavyweights and media personalities who knew him well, the piece illustrates how the "master of media spin" helped to win some of the most important elections in this country's history and why, nearly two decades after his death at the age of 40 from a brain tumor, the Atwood playbook continues to influence American politics through the work of two of his most highly recognizable and successful protégés, Karl Rove and former President George W. Bush.
http://www.boogiemanfilm.com/
The George Polk Award for Radio Reporting will honor the work of Alex Blumberg of "This American Life," which is produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, and Adam Davidson of National Public Radio for their collaborative report titled, "The Giant Pool of Money." Their piece distilled down the highly complex chain of events that led to the subprime mortgage crisis. Through the stories of mortgage brokers and packagers, as well as those who have lost their homes, the pair illuminated the impact of no-interest, no-asset (NINA) mortgages and connected the dots between the people on Wall Street who made the deals and the people on Main Street whose lives will never be the same.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1242
Winners of the George Polk Awards are selected by a jury of Long Island University faculty members and alumni from entries submitted by journalists and news organizations and by a panel of journalism teachers, editors and reporters, including some former Polk Award recipients. Visit the George Polk Awards Web site for additional information at: www.liu.edu/polk.
2007 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Career Award: The New Yorker magazine veteran John McPhee, for his extraordinary contributions as a prolific author, essayist and educator, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. http://www.johnmcphee.com
Television Reporting: Senior foreign correspondent Jim Sciutto, producer Angus Hines and cameraman/producer Tom Murphy of "ABC World News with Charles Gibson," for their revealing accounts of government crackdowns on protestors in Myanmar. http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3866894
Political Reporting: Reporters Barton D. Gellman and Jo Becker, for their Washington Post series on Vice President Dick Cheney's role as the hidden architect of U.S. policies concerning torture, military tribunals and other controversial issues. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/
Foreign Reporting: Leila Fadel, for coverage as Baghdad bureau chief for the McClatchy Company, that offered chilling, first-hand accounts of violence and murder among Iraq's own people. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/leila_fadel/story/27710.html
Environmental Reporting: The Wall Street Journal's Shai Oster, for his reports on the devastating, unforseen environmental consequences of China's construction of the Three Gorges Dam.
Medical Reporting: The New York Times' Charles A. Duhigg, for exposing unethical practices by nursing homes, long-term care insurers and allied businesses and investors that put the elderly at risk. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/series/golden_opportunites/
Legal Reporting: Talking Points Memo's editor & publisher Joshua M. Marshall, for his reports uncovering politically motivated dismissals of United States attorneys. http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/us-attorneys/2007/03/
Consumer Reporting: The Chicago Tribune, for revealing accounts of children suffering injury and death from exposure to unregulated products imported from China. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/chi-safety-mainpage,0,2867796.special
Book Award: Jeremy Scahill, for "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army," which chronicled the questionable business practices of Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based company that has become one of the world's premiere providers of private military services. http://www.nationbooks.org/book/5/Blackwater
Magazine Reporting: Freelance writer Joshua A. Kors, for articles published in The Nation magazine, uncovering the U.S. Army's attempt to deny benefits to thousands of Iraq veterans. http://www.joshuakors.com/military
Financial Reporting: Edward Chancellor, for the Institutional Investor magazine article, "Ponzi Nation" that warned months before the market decline, that excessive risk-taking and interconnected investments - fueled by subprime mortgages and the activities of lightly regulated hedge funds - could cause calamity for world economies. http://www.iimagazine.com/article.aspx?articleID=1234217
Business Reporting: The staff of North Carolina's Charlotte Observer, for a series that exposed the causes of the community's high rate of housing foreclosures. http://www.charlotte.com/523/
State Reporting: Jerry Mitchell of Jackson, Mississippi's Clarion-Ledger, for uncovering how disease outbreaks and an alarming increase in infant mortality rates went unreported by the Mississippi Department of Health.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS/80218048&template=theme&theme=polk_awards
Local Reporting (posthumously): Chauncey W. Bailey, Jr. , who was the editor of the Oakland Post, was gunned down while in the midst of investigating a local business, which has been linked to kidnapping, rape, torture and several killings, now including his own. The slaying is believed to be the first targeted killing of a journalist in the United States since 1993. http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/americas/usa02aug07na.html
2006 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Documentary Television: Spike Lee and Sam Pollard, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts"
Foreign Reporting: Lydia Polgreen, New York Times, Conflict in Darfur.
Network Television Reporting: Lisa Myers and Adam Ciralsky, NBC Nightly News, $70 million Army defense contract.
Military Reporting: Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman, Hartford Courant, "Mentally Unfit, Forced to Fight"
Medical Reporting: Robert Little, The Sun of Baltimore, "Dangerous Remedy"
Environmental Reporting: Kenneth R. Weiss and Usha Lee McFarling, Los Angeles Times, "Altered Oceans"
Business Reporting: Charles Forelle, James Bandler and Mark Maremont, The Wall Street Journal, backdating of stock-option awards for executives
National Reporting: Jeff Kosseff, Bryan Denson and Les Zaitz, The Oregonian, failure of a multibillion-dollar federal program to advance employment for people with severe disabilities.
Metropolitan Reporting: Debbie Cenziper, The Miami Herald, Miami-Dade Housing Agency
Local Reporting: Staff of Lakefront Outlook, investigation of the $19.5-million Harold Washington Cultural Center and Third Ward Alderman Dorothy Tillman
Political Reporting: Ray Ring, High Country News, referendum campaigns against land-use regulations in six Western states
Radio Reporting: Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California-Berkeley, American Public Media and Living on Earth, "Early Signs: Reports from a Warming Planet"
2005 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Career Award: Frederick Wiseman, documentary filmmaker
International Reporting: José More and Cam Simpson, Chicago Tribune,
"Pipeline to Peril"
Television Reporting: Brian Ross and Richard Esposito, ABC News
Foreign, prisons and torture
National Reporting: Dana Priest, The Washington Post, secret prisons
Foreign Reporting: Joe Stephens and David B. Ottaway, The Washington Post, Afghanistan
Commentary: Frank Rich, The New York Times
Business Reporting: Barry Meier, The New York Times, heart device
Justice Reporting: Jerry Mitchell, The Clarion-Ledger
Civil, rights-era murders conviction
Health Reporting: David Evans, Michael Smith and Liz Willen,
Bloomberg News,
human testing
Political Reporting: Marcus Stern and Jerry Kammer, Copley News Service and Dean Calbreath, The San Diego Union-Tribune,
congressional bribery
Local Reporting: Adam Clay Thompson, The San Francisco Bay Guardian,
"Forgotten City"
Radio Reporting: JoAnn Mar, independent radio producer,
"Crime Pays: A Look at Who's Getting Rich from the Prison Boom"
Book Award: Victor S. Navasky,
"A Matter of Opinion"
2004 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Career Award: Bill D. Moyers, PBS
Magazine Reporting: Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker, torture at Abu Ghraib
Foreign Reporting: Paisley Dodds, The Associated Press, "Turmoil in Haiti"
War Reporting: Dexter Filkins, The New York Times, battle of Falluja.
Sports Reporting: Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, San Francisco Chronicle, steroid scandal
Television Reporting: Diane Sawyer and Robbie Gordon, ABC News PrimeTime Live, fighting for care at V.A. hospitals.
National Reporting: Walt Bogdanich, The New York Times, "Death on the Tracks. "
MilitaryReporting: Diana Henriques, The New York Times, G.I. insurance scam
Economic Reporting: Ellen E. Schultz and Theo Francis, The Wall Street Journal, "Financial Surgery: How Cuts in Retiree Benefits Fatten Companies Bottom Lines"
Labor Reporting: Justin Pritchard, The Associated Press, "Dying to Work"
Regional Reporting: Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California), "Global Shift. "
State Reporting: John Hill and Dorothy Korber, The Sacramento Bee. Police Pension Abuse
Local Reporting: Tim Novak and Steve Warmbir, Chicago Sun-Times, "Clout on Wheels"
2003 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Somini Sengupta, The New York Times, conflict in West Africa.
Radio Reporting: Anne Garrels, National Public Radio, Iraq under siege
Photojournalism: Carolyn Cole, Los Angeles Times, life in Iraq and Liberia
Economics Reporting: Nancy Cleeland, Abigail Goldman, Evelyn Iritani and Tyler Marshall,
Los Angeles Times, "The Wal-Mart Effect"
Business Reporting: Aaron Bernstein and Manjeet Kripalani, BusinessWeek, "Is Your Job Next"
Labor Reporting: David Barstow, Lowell Bergman, Neil Docherty, Linden MacIntyre and David Rummel, The New York Times, "A Dangerous Business"
National Reporting: Cam Simpson, Flynn McRoberts and Liz Sly, Chicago Tribune, "Tossed Out of America"
Internet Reporting: The Center for Public Intergrity, "Windfalls of War: U.S. Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan"
Magazine Reporting: Southern Exposure, "Banking on Misery: Citigroup, Wall Street and the Fleecing of the South"
State Reporting: Dave Altimari, Jon Lender and Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, Governor John G. Rowlands
Education Reporting: Daniel Golden, The Wall Street Journal, white affirmative action benefiting children of alumni and prospective donors of elite schools
Local Reporting: Duff Wilson, Brian Joseph and Sheila Farr, The Seattle Times, "The Art of Deception"
Television Reporting: Andrew Smith and Liviu Tipurita, CNN Presents, "Easy Prey: Inside the Child Sex Trade"
Career Award: F. Gilman Spencer
2002 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Career Award: Morley Safer, CBS News
Foreign Reporting: Anthony Shadid, The Boston Globe, middle East conflict
National Reporting: The Boston Globe,"Crisis in the Catholic Church"
Regional Reporting: Clifford J. Levy, The New York Times, "Broken Homes"
Health Care Reporting: Walt Bogdanich, Barry Meier and Mary Williams Walsh, The New York Times, "Medicine's Middlemen"
International Reporting: Sonia Nazario and Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times, "Enrique's Journey"
Environmental Reporting: Debbie Salamone with Ramsey Campbell and Robert Sargent,
Orlando Sentinel, "Florida's Water Crisis"
Criminal Justice Reporting: Michael Luo, Associated Press, "Small Town Justice"
Financial Reporting: Ellen E. Schultz and Theo Francis, The Wall Street Journal, benefits scam
Medical Reporting: Stephen Kiernan and Cadence Mertz, The Burlington Free Press (Vt. ),
"Code of Silence"
Magazine Reporting: Arnold S. Relman and Marcia Angell, The New Republic, "America's Other Drug Problem"
Local Reporting: Jason Riley and R.G. Dunlop, The Courier-Journal, "Justice Delayed, Justice Denied"
Television Reporting: Phil Williams and Bryan Staples, WTVF, "Friends in High Places"
Cultural Criticism: Susan Sontag, The New Yorker, "Looking at War"
2001 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Television and Radio Reporting: BBC World and BBC World Service Radio, September 11, attack
Foreign Reporting: Barry Bearak, The New York Times, Afghanistan
National Reporting: The New York Times, "A Nation Challenged"
Magazine Reporting: Bernard Lewis, the New Yorker, "The Revolt of Islam"
Book Award: Joan Didion, The New York Review of Books, "Political Fictions"
Medical Reporting: Duff Wilson and David Heath, The Seattle Times, "Uninformed Consent: What Patients at 'The Hutch' Weren't Told About the Experiments in Which They Died"
Financial Reporting: Susan Pulliam and Randall Smith, The Wall Street Journal, fraudulent practices by Credit Suisse First Boston
Metropolitan Reporting: Bill Theobald and Bonnie Harris, The Indianapolis Star, "Destined to Die"
International Reporting: Sudarsan Raghavan and Sumana Chatterjee, Knight Ridder, "A Taste of Slavery"
Regional Reporting: Jessie A. Hamilton, Stephanie Earls, Tom Roeder and Mark Morey, Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, WA), "Caught by the Fire in the Canyon"
Local Reporting: Heidi Evans and Dave Saltonstall, Daily News (New York), allegations of financial impropriety and neglect at Hale House
Environmental Reporting: Lisa Davis, San Francisco Weekly, "Fallout"
Career Award: Edna Buchanan
2000 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Magazine Reporting: Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, Time magazine, "Big Money and Politics: Who Gets Hurt"
Book Award: Laurie Garrett "Betrayal of Trust"
Career Award: John B. Oakes, The New York Times Op Ed page
National Reporting: Michael Grunwald, The Washington Post, Army Corps of Engineers' billion-dollar, high-risk water projects
Transportation Reporting: Scott McCartney, The Wall Street Journal, negligence of the FAA re: cockpits, pilot training and air traffic control systems
Local Television Reporting: Anna Werner, David Raziq and Chris Henao, KHOU-TV (Houston), "Treading on Danger?"
Network Television Reporting: John Larson, Allan Maraynes, Lynne Dale, Neal Shapiro and Andy Lehren, NBC Dateline, "The Paper Chase"
Political Reporting: Virginia Ellis, Los Angeles Times, misconduct by the California insurance commissioner, Chuck Quackenbush
Statewide Reporting: Kevin Corcoran and Joe Fahy, The Indianapolis Star, Indiana's inadequate oversight of care for its mentally fragile patients
Health Care Reporting: Sam Hodges and William Rabb, Mobile (Ala. ) Register, appalling state of dental care for Alabama's children
Foreign Reporting: Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, guerrilla war and drug trade in Colombia
Special Award: The New York Times, "How Race Is Lived in America"
1999 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times
Television Foreign Reporting: Giselle Portenier, Olenka Frenkiel and Fiona Murch, BBC News
International Reporting: Sang-hun Choe, Charles J. Hanley, Martha Mendoza and Randy Herschaft, Associated Press
National Reporting: Jason DeParle, The New York Times
Regional Reporting: Todd Richissin and Andre Chung, The Baltimore Sun
Criminal Justice Reporting: Ken Armstrong and Steve Mills, Chicago Tribune
Local Reporting: Kevin Carmody, Daily Southtown (Illinois)
Local Television Reporting: The "I" Team, WWOR-TV
Editorial Writing: Daily News (New York)
Financial Reporting: Ellen E. Schultz, The Wall Street Journal
Medical Reporting: Andrea Gerlin, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Special Award: National Security Archive
Career Award: Studs Terkel
1998 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Book Award: Philip Gourevitch, The New Yorker
Career Award: Russell Baker, The New York Times
Commentary: Juan Gonzalez, Daily News (New York)
Economic Reporting: Mary Jordan, Keith Richburg and Kevin Sullivan, The Washington Post
Environmental Reporting: Gardiner Harris and R.G. Dunlop, Louisville Courier- Journal
Foreign Reporting: Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times
International Reporting: Alix M. Freedman, The Wall Street Journal
Legal Reporting: Joe Stephens, The Kansas City Star
Local Reporting: Clifford J. Levy, The New York Times
Medical Reporting: Robert Whitaker and Dolores Kong, The Boston Globe
National Reporting: Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, Time
Radio Reporting: Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now/Pacifica Radio
Television Reporting: Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz, ABC News-20/20
1997 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Career Award: The Pittsburgh Courier
Foreign Reporting: Laurie Garrett, Newsday
Network TV Reporting: Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz, Prime Time Live
Military Affairs Reporting: Dayton Daily News
Medical Reporting: The Wall Street Journal
Business Reporting: Kurt Eichenwald and Martin Gottlieb, The New York Times
National Reporting: Keith Bradsher, The New York Times
Local Reporting: Pensacola News Journal
Environmental Reporting: Will Englund, Gary Cohn and Perry Thorsvik, The Baltimore Sun
Book Award: Horst Faas and Tim Page, "Requiem," Random House
Sports Reporting: Kansas City Star
International Reporting: Michael Dobbs, The Washington Post
Magazine Reporting: Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
1996 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Criticism Award: Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune
National TV Reporting: Matt Meagher, Tim Peek, Inside Edition
Economics Reporting: The New York Times
National Reporting: Elizabeth Marchak, The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Political Reporting: The Los Angeles Times
Cultural Reporting: Chuck Philips, The Los Angeles Times
Magazine Reporting: Anne-Marie Cusac, The Progressive
Local Reporting: Kevin Collison, The Buffalo News
Transportation Reporting: Byron Acohido, The Seattle Times
Foreign Reporting: John F. Burns, The New York Times
Foreign TV Reporting: Christiane Amanpour, Anita Pratap, CNN
1995 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Career Award: John K. Cooley, ABC News
Foreign Reporting: David Rohde, The Christian Science Monitor
National Reporting: Michael Weisskopf and David Maraniss, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: Elizabeth Llorente, The Record
Metropolitan Reporting: Frank Bruni, Nina Bernstein, Joyce Purnick and Lizette Alverez, The New York Times
Magazine Reporting: Richard Behar, Fortune
Education Reporting: Steve Stecklow, The Wall Street Journal
Business Reporting: Kurt Eichenwald, The New York Times
Health Care Reporting: Chris Adams, The Times - Picayune
Medical Reporting: The Orange County Register
Local Television Reporting: Tom Grant, KREM-TV (Spokane)
Consumer Reporting: Lea Thompson, Jack Cloherty and Sandra Surles, Dateline/NBC
Network TV Reporting: Jim Clancy, CNN
1994 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Magazine Reporting: Allan Nairn, The Nation
Medical Reporting: Dave Davis and Joan Mazzolini, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer
Education Reporting: Olive Talley, The Dallas Morning News
Environmental Reporting: Jim Lynch and Karen Dorn Steele, The Spokesman - Review (Spokane)
Political Reporting: Joe Stephens, The Kansas City Star
Local Reporting: Sonia Nazario, The Los Angeles Times
Metropolitan Reporting: David Armstrong, Shelly Murphy, and Stephen Kurkjian, The Boston Globe
National Reporting: Joel Brinkley, Deborah Sontag, and Stephen Engelberg, The New York Times
Foreign Reporting: Barbara Demick, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Television Documentary: Steven Emerson and Martin Koughan, SAE Productions (Aired on PBS)
Network Television Reporting: John Martin, Walt Bogdanich and Keith Summa
ABC News/Day One
Career Award: Philip Hamburger, The New Yorker
1993 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Medical Reporting: Larry Keller and Fred Schulte, Sun-Sentinel
Magazine Reporting: Oliver Sacks, The New Yorker
Business Reporting: Paul Nyden, Charleston Gazette
Foreign Reporting: Keith Richburg, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: Ying Chan, Daily News (New York)
National Reporting: Eileen Welsome, Albuquerque Tribune
Political Reporting: State Journal - Register
Financial Reporting: Scot J. Paltrow, The Los Angeles Times
Regional Reporting: Isabel Wilkerson, The New York Times
Radio Commentary: Daniel Schorr, National Public Radio
Book: David Remnick," Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire"
Career Award: Richard Dudman, St. Louis Post - Dispatch
Television Reporting: Christiane Amanpour, CNN
1992 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Local Reporting: The Los Angeles Times
National Reporting: Gregory Vistica, San Diego Union - Tribune
Foreign Reporting: Roy Gutman, Newsday
Legal Reporting: Marianne Lavelle, Marcia Coyle, Claudia MacLachian, The National Law Journal
Magazine Reporting: Lawrence Weschler, The New Yorker
Health Reporting: Seth Rosenfeld, San Francisco Examiner
Environmental Reporting: John Thor Dahlburg, The Los Angeles Times
Photography: Carlos Guerrero, El Nuevo Herald
Radio Reporting: Tom Gjelten, National Public Radio
National TV Reporting: Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz, Dateline, NBC News
Foreign TV Reporting: Chris Wallace, Neal Shapiro, Anthony Radziwill, PrimeTime Live, ABC News
Social Commentary: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. , The New York Tumes OP-Ed
Career Award: Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times
1991 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Radio Reporting: Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio
Local Television: Christopher Scholl, KWWL TV, Iowa
National Television: Glenn Silber, Robert Krulwich, David Fanning, Sharon Tiller, Frontline: Center for Investigative Reporting
Cultural Reporting: Konstantin Akinsha, Grigorii Kozlov, ARTnews
Special Award: Andrew Schneider, Mary Pat Flaherty, The Pittsburgh Press
Education Reporting : Jeff Gottlieb, San Jose Mercury News
Economic Reporting: Donald L. Barlett, James B. Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer
War Reporting: Patrick J. Sloyan, Newsday
Local Reporting: Holly A. Taylor, The Berkshire Eagle
Regional Reporting: Dan Barry, John Sullivan, Ira Chinoy, The Providence Journal - Bulletin
National Reporting: Jeff Taylor, Mike McGraw, The Kansas City Star
Foreign Reporting: Francis X. Clines, The New York Times
Foreign Reporting: Barbara Crossette, The New York Times
Career Award: Claude Fox Sitton
1990 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Caryle Murphy, The Washington Post
National Reporting: Susan F. Rasky and David E. Rosenbaum, The New York Times
Regional Reporting: Gayle Reaves, David Hanners, David McLemore, The Dallas Morning News
Local Reporting: Heidi Evans, Daily News (New York)
Environmental Reporting: Adam Seessel, Independent Weekly
Business Reporting: Dianne Marder, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Special Publications: Joseph M. Belth, The Insurance Forum
Special Award: Globalvision
Documentary Television: Hedrick Smith, Martin Smith, WGBH Boston and Martin Smith Productions
Local Television Reporting: Kevin Kerrigan, Guam Cable Television
Network Television Reporting: Peter Jennings, Leslie Cockburn, Tom Yellin, ABC News
Career Award: Fred Friendly
Metropolitan Reporting: Laurie Bennett, Alan Fisk and Robert Ourlian, Detroit News
1989 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn, The New York Times
National Reporting: Rick Atkinson, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: The Hartford Courant
Local Television Reporting: WCSC -TV, Charleston, SC
TV Investigative Reporting: Jonathan Kwitny, WNYC - TV
Network TV Reporting: CBS News
Radio Reporting: Robert Knight, WBAI - FM
International Reporting: Stephen Engelberg, Michael R. Gordon, The New York Times
Medical Reporting: John Crewdson, Chicago Tribune
Political Reporting: Andrew Melnykovych, Casper Star - Tribune
Regional Reporting: Miranda Ewell, David Schrieberg, San Jose Mercury News
Career Award: Fred Hechinger, The New York Times
1988 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting : John Kifner, The New York Times
National Reporting: Keith Schneider, The New York Times
Local Reporting: David Gomez and Patricia Guthrie, Albuquerque Tribune
Financial Reporting: National Thrift News
Environmental Reporting: Mary Bishop, Roanoke Time & World - News
Local Television Reporting: King 5 TV, Seattle
Network Television Reporting: Brian Ross and Ira Silverman, NBC
Economic Reporting: Donald L. Barlette and James B. Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Radio Reporting: Patricia Neighmond, National Public Radio
Cultural Reporting: Lawrence Weschler, North Point Press
Photojournalism: Mary Ellen Mark
Career Award: William Shawn
1987 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Nora Boustany, The Washington Post
National Reporting: Mike Masterson, Chuck Cook and Mark N. Trahant, The Arizona Republic
Local Reporting: Ron Ridenhour, New Orleans City Business
Financial Reporting: Daniel Hertzberg and James B. Stewart, The Wall Street Journal
Metropolitan Reporting: The Charlotte Observer
Local Television Reporting: Margie Nichols, WSMV, Nashville
Network Television Reporting: CNN
Radio Reporting: Larry Bensky, Pacifica Radio
Sports Reporting: Chris Mortensen, The Atlanta Journal - Constitution
Science Reporting: Science News
Political Reporting: Knight - Ridder's Washington Bureau
Foreign Television Reporting: Gordon Manning, NBC
Magazine Reporting: Roger Rosenblatt, Time
Career Award: Murray Kempton, Newsday & New York Newsday
1986 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Newsweek
National Reporting: Andrew Wolfson and Daniel Rubin, Louisville Courier - Journal
Local Reporting: Sally Jacobs, Raleigh News and Observer
Regional Reporting: Alex Beasley and Rosemary Goudreau, Orlando Sentinel
Financial Reporting: Peter G. Gosselin, Boston Globe
Science Reporting: Science Times
Environmental Reporting: High Country News
International TV Reporting: David Fanning and Martin Smith, Frontline (PBS)
National Television Reporting: Bill Moyers, CBS Reports
Local Television Reporting: Lee Coppola, WKBW - TV, Buffalo
Book: Richard Kluger, " The Paper: The Life and Death of the New York Herald Tribune"
Career Award: James Reston, The New York Times
1985 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Alan Cowell, The New York Times
International Reporting: Pete Carey, Katherine Ellison and Lewis M. Simons, The San Jose
Mercury - News
National Reporting: Diana Griego and Louis Kilzer, The Denver Post
Local Reporting: Stan Jones, The Fairbanks Daily News - Miner
Metropolitan Reporting: Jimmy Breslin, Daily News (New York)
Political Reporting: Frank Greve, The Knight Ridder Newspapers
Business Reporting: The Boston Globe's Spotlight/Business Team
Medical Reporting: Lawerence K. Altman, The New York Times
Criticism: Arthur C. Danto, The Nation
Radio Reporting: Peter Laufer, NBC Radio News
Network Television Reporting: Ted Koppel and Richard N. Kaplan, ABC News "Nightline"
Local Television Reporting: Vic Lee, Craig Franklin, and Brian McTigue, KRON - TV, San Francisco
Career Award: George Tames, The New York Times
1984 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Mark Fineman, The Philadelphia Inquirer
National Reporting: Robert Parry, The Associated Press
Local Reporting: Ellen Whitford, The Norfolk Virginian - Pilot
Medical Reporting: William R. Ritz, John Aloysious Farrell, The Denver Post
Environmental Reporting: Tom Harris, Jim Morris, The Sacramento Bee
Special Interest Reporting: Lois R. Ember, Chemical & Engineering News
Magazine Reporting: John Vinocur, The New York Times Magazine
News Photography: Ozier Muhammad, Newsday
Special Award: "Amnesty International Report" published by Amnesty International
Foreign Television Reporting: Michael Buerk of BBC and Mohammed Amin of VisNews, televised by NBC News
National Television Reporting: Alex Kotlowitz, Kwame Holman, Susan Ades MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, aired on WNET, N.Y. and WETA, Wash. , D.C.
Local Television Reporting: Rick Nelson, Joe Collum, KPRC - TV, Houston
Career Award: Red Barber
1983 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Joseph Lelyveld, The New York Times
National Reporting: Robert M. Frump, Timothy Dwyer, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Regional Reporting: Paul Lieberman, Celia Dugger of The Atlantic Journal - Constitution
Local Reporting: Jim McGee, The Miami Herald
Foreign Affairs Reporting: Philip Taubman, The New York Times
Economics Reporting: Dennis Camire, Mark Rohner, Gannett News Service
Consumer Reporting: Marcia Stepanek, Stephen Franklin, The Detroit Free Press
Medical Reporting: Benjamin Weiser, The Washington Post
Network Television Reporting: Don McNeill, CBS News
Local Television Reporting: John Fosholt, Ward Lucas, KBTV News Denver
Documentary Television: "Vietnam: A Television History," produced by WGBH, Boston, and aired on the Public Broadcasting System
Special Interest Reporting: The Amicus Journal, published by the National Resources Defense
Council
Special Award: Youssef M. Ibrahim, The Wall Street Journal
Career Award: William Lawrence Shirer
1982 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Thomas L. Friedman, David K. Shipler, The New York Times
National Reporting: Richard Halloran, The New York Times
Regional Reporting: Jim Henderson, Dallas Times Herald
Metropolitan Reporting: Doug Cumming, Providence Journal - Bulletin
Local Reporting: David Johnston, Joel Sappell, The Los Angeles Times
Magazine Reporting: Roger Rosenblatt, Time
Financial Reporting: Phillip L. Zweig, American Banker
Criticism: Stanley Kauffman, The New Republic
News Photography: Robby Castro, The Associated Press
Network Television Reporting: CBS News, "CBS Reports: Guatemala"
Local Television Reporting: Dick Gelfman, Theresa Crawford, John Sur, WBAL -TV, Baltimore
Documentary Television: Andrew A. Stern, Public Broadcasting System
Special Award: Rod Nordland, The Philadelphia
1981 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: John Darnton, The New York Times
National Reporting: Seymour M. Hersh, Jeff Gerth, Phillip Taubman, The New York Times
Regional Reporting: Stephanie Saul, W. Stevens Ricks, Jackson Clarion - Ledger (Miss)
Local Reporting: Orlando Sentinel Star, "The Federal Impact"
Consumer Reporting: Phil Norman, Louisville Courier - Journal
Magazine Reporting: William Greider, "The Education of David Stockman," The Atlantic
Book: Edwin R. Bayley, "Joe McCarthy and The Press"
Science Reporting: Science Magazine, "News and Comments"
Television Documentary: Pierre Salinger, Paris Bureau Chief, ABC News, "America Held Hostage: The Secret Negotiations"
Television Reporting: Ted Koppel of NBC News, "Nightline"
Radio Reporting: John Merrow, Institute for Educational Leadership and National Public Radio, "Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice"
Career Award: George Seldes
1980 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Shirley Christian, The Miami Herald
National Reporting: Jonathan Neuman and Ted Gup, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: The Miami Herald
Regional Reporting: The Charlotte Observer
Editorials: Editorial Board, The New York Times
Commentary: Roger Angell, The New Yorker
News Photography: Oscar Sabatta, United Press International
Satiric Drawings: Edward Sorel
Cultural Reporting: ARTnews
National Radio Reporting: National Public Radio
Local Radio Reporting: Station KMOX, CBS, St. Louis
Political Reporting: Bill Moyers, "Bill Moyers' Journal: Campaign Report" (WNET-TV), New York
Local Television Reporting: Stephen Talbot and Jonathan Dann, KQED-TV, San Francisco
National Television Reporting: Charles Kuralt, CBS News
Special Award: Leonard Karlin, LIU alumnus/Polk Citation Writer
1979 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: John Kifner, The New York Times
National Reporting: Brian Donovan, Bob Wyrick, Stuart Diamond, Newsday
Regional Reporting: Jim Adams, Jim Detjen, The Louisville Courier-Journal
Metropolitan Reporting: Walt Bogdanich, Walter Johns Jr. , The Cleveland Press
Local Reporting: Ed Petykiewicz, The Saginaw News
Documentary: Jack Willis, Saul Landau, "Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang" - New Time Films, Inc.
National Television: WRC-TV, Washington, D.C. "Hairdryers: The Hidden Danger"
Foreign Television Reporting: Ed Bradley, "60 Minutes," CBS News
Political Reporting: Jack Newfield, The Village Voice
Commentary: "Notes and Comments," Talk of the Town, The New Yorker
Book: William Shawcross, "Sideshow"
New Photography: United Press International, "Firing Squad"-Name Witheld
Special Interest Reporting: Wilbert Rideau, Billy Sinclair The Angolite (Louisana State Prison)
Career Award: Alden Whitman, The New York Times
1978 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: John F. Burns, John Darnton, Michael T. Kaufman, The New York Times
National Reporting: Ronald Kessler, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: The Dallas Times Herald
Public Service: Jane Shoemaker, Thomas Ferrick, Jr. , William Ecenbarger, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Regional Reporting: Southern Exposure
Educational Reporting: The Chronicle of Higher Education
Television Reporting: Don Harris, Bob Brown (Posthumously), NBC News
Film Documentary: "Scared Straight," Golden West Television Productions
News Photography: Eddie Adams, The Associated Press
Commentary: Russell Baker, The New York Times
Career Award: Richard S. Salant, CBS News
1977 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Robert C. Toth, The Los Angeles Times
National Reporting: Walter Pincus, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: Len Ackland, The Des Moines Register
Magazine Reporting: Daniel Lang, The New Yorker Local Radio, Television
Television Reporting: John Stossel, WCBS News
Science Reporting: The New England Journal of Medicine
Criticism: Peter S. Prescott, Newsweek
Commentary: Red Smith, The New York Times
Editorial Cartoons: Jeff MacNelly, The Richmond News Leader
News Photography: Eddie Adams, The Associated Press
Career Award: Carey McWilliams, former editor, The Nation
1976 and 1975 No George Polk Awards Presented
(top of page)
1974 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Donald Kirk, The Chicago Tribune
National Reporting: Seymour M. Hersh, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: Richard Severo, The New York Times
Community Service: William E. Anderson, Harley R. Bierce, Richard C. Cady, The Indianapolis Star
Magazine Reporting: Edward M. Brecher, Robert H. Harris, Consumer Reports
Television Documentary: "White Paper," "And Who Shall Feed This World?" NBC News
New Photography: Werner Baum, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Book: Mary Adelaide Mendelson, "Tender Loving Greed"
Special Award: Sydney H. Schanberg, The New York Times
1973 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Henry S. Bradsher, The Washington Star-News
National Reporting: Andrew H. Malcolm, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: James Savage and Mike Baxter, The Miami Herald
Local Reporting: Carol Talley, Joan Hayde, The Daily Advance (Dover, N.J. )
Community Service: William Sherman, New York Daily News
Investigative Reporting: Seymour Hersh, The New York Times
Magazine Reporting: John Osborne, The New Republic
Television Reporting: Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Affairs Center for Television
Television Documentary: Jeremy Isaacs, "The World at War" Thames Television (London, England)
News Photography: George Brich, The Associated Press
Book: David Wise, "The Politics of Lying - Government Deception, Secrecy, and Power" Secrecy, and Power"
Special Award: Donald L. Barlett, James B. Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer
1972 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Jean Thoraval, Jean Leclerc du Sablon, Agence France-Presse
National Reporting: Carl Bernstein, Robert Woodward, The Washington Post
Metropolitan Reporting: Joseph Martin, Martin McLaughlin, James Ryan, Daily News (New York)
Local Reporting: Doris Ellen Olsten, Santa Maria (Calif. ) Times
Community Service: Ronald Kessler, The Washington Post
Investigative Reporting: Jean Heller, The Associated Press
Magazine Reporting: Frances FitzGerald, The New Yorker
Television Reporting: Jim McKay, American Broadcasting Company
Television News: "60 Minutes," CBS News, and "First Tuesday," NBC News
News Photography: Huynh Cong Ut, The Associated Press
Book: Sanford J. Ungar, "The Papers & The Papers"
Special Award: Lesley Oelsner, The New York Times
1971 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Sydney H. Schanberg, The New York Times
National Reporting: The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: Donald L. Barlett, James B. Steele, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Education Reporting: Joseph Lelyveld, The New York Times
Public Service: Frances Cerra, Newsday
Magazine Reporting: Ross Terrill, The Atlantic Monthly
Television Documentary: Peter Davis, Perry Wolff, Roger Mudd, CBS News
Television Reporting: Phil Brady, NBC News
News Photography: Horst Faas, Michel Laurent, The Associated Press
Criticism: Richard Harwood, The Washington Post
Book: Erik Barnouw, "The History of Broadcasting in the United States"
1970 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Gloria Emerson, The New York Times
National Reporting: The Knight Newspapers
Metropolitan Reporting: Richard Oliver, New York Daily News
Community Service: Karl Grossman, Long Island Press
Editorials: James E. Clayton, The Washington Post
Magazine Reporting: The Washington Monthly
Television Reporting: Alan M. Levin, National Educational Television (NET)
Freedom of the Press: Walter Cronkite and "CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite"
News Photography: John Darnell, John Foli and Howard Ruffner, Life Magazine
Criticism: Pauline Kael, The New Yorker
Book: Otto Friedrich, "Decline and Fall"
Special Award: I.F. Stone
1969 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Henry Kamm, The New York Times
National Reporting: Walter Rugaber, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: William Federici, New York Daily News
National TV Reporting: Tom Pettit, National Broadcasting Co.
Local TV Reporting: Lee Hanna, WCBS - TV News
Magazine Reporting: William Lambert, Life
News Photography: Stephen Dawson Starr, The Associated Press
Book: Richard Ellmann, Editor, "The Artist as Critic - Critical Writings of Oscar Wilde"
Special Award: Wes Gallagher, The Associated Press
Special Award: Seymour M. Hersh
1968 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
International Reporting: David Kraslow and Stuart H. Loory, The Los Angeles Times
National Reporting: Bernard D. Nossiter, The Washington Post
Regional Reporting: James K. Batten and Dwayne Walls, The Charlotte Observer
Community Service: David Burnam, The New York Times
Political Reporting: Martin Arnold, The New York Times
Television Reporting: NBC News, CBS News, ABC News
Magazine Reporting: Norman Mailer, Harper's Magazine
News Photography: Edward T. Adams, The Associated Press
Criticism: John Simon, The New Leader
Book: Charles Rembar, "The End Of Obscenity"
1967 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: R.W. Apple, Jr. , The New York Times
National Reporting: Clayton Fritchey, Newsday Specials
Local Reporting: J. Anthony Lukes, The New York Times
Community Service: Newsday
Television Documentary: ABC News
Magazine Reporting: The Paris Review
News Photography: Catherine Leroy
Criticism: Saul Maloff, Newsweek
Book: Alan F.Westin, "Privacy and Freedom"
1966 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Harrison E. Salisbury, The New York Times
National Reporting: Richard Harwood, The Washington Post
Local Reporting: Cal Olston, The Fargo (North Dakota) Forum
Interpretive Reporting: Murray Kempton, New York Post
Magazine Reporting: Ramparts
Criticism: Alfred Kazin
Book: Wilson Follett, "Modern American Usage"
News Photography: Horst Faas, The Associated Press
Special Award: Arnold Gingrich, Esquire
Special Award: Time Essay, Time Magazine
1965 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Dan Kurzman, The Washington Post
Editorial Comment: John B. Oakes, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: Barry Gottehrer, New York Herald Tribune
Interpretive Reporting: Bernard B. Fall
Criticism: Susan Sontag
Television Documentary: Beryl Fox, Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
News Photography: James A. Bourdier, The Associated Press
Television News: Morley Safer, Columbia Broadcasting System
Caricature: David Levine, New York Review of Books
1964 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Malcolm W. Browne, The Associated Press
National Reporting: Paul Hope and John Barron, The Washington Star
Metropolitan Reporting: A.M. Rosenthal, The New York Times
Community Service: Samuel F. Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Criticism: Robert Brustein, The New Republic
Radio Reporting: Edward P. Morgan, American Broadcasting Co.
Television Reporting: Ted Yates, National Broadcasting Co.
Special Award: Oron J. Hale
1963 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: David Halberstam, The New York Times
National Reporting: American Broadcasting Co. , Columbia Broadcasting System, National Broadcasting Co.
Metropolitan Reporting: Norman C. Miller, The Wall Street Journal
Magazine Reporting: Gilbert A. Harrison, The New Republic
Criticism: New York Review of Books
News Photography: Roger Asnong, The Associated Press
Special Award: A.H. Raskins, The New York Times
Special Award: WNEW (Radio)
Special Award: Peter Lyon
1962 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Dana Adams Schmidt, The New York Times
National Reporting: Mary McGrory, The Washington Star
Local Reporting: Kitty Hanson, Daily News (New York)
Magazine Reporting: James Baldwin, The New Yorker
Television Reporting: WNDT-TV
News Photography: Hector Rondon, La Republica, Caracas
Special Award: "The Other America" by Michael Harrington
Special Award: Morton Mintz, The Washington Post
Special Award: Theodore E. Kruglak
1961 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Morris H. Rubin, The Progressive
National Reporting: Gerard Piel, Scientific American
Local Reporting: Laurence Stern, The Washington Post
Radio & Television Reporting: Robert Young and Charles Dorkins, National Broadcasting Co.
News Photography: Anonymous Photographer, The Associated Press
Community Service: Arnold Brophy and Joseph S. Gelmis, Newsday
Special Award: Jules Feiffer
1960 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: James Morris, The Guardian (Manchester)
National Reporting: John T. Cunniff, The Associated Press
Metropolitan Reporting: William R. Clark, and Alexander Milch, Newark (N.J. )
Radio & Television Reporting: Albert Wasserman and Robert Young, National Broadcasting Co.
News Photography: Yasushi Nagao, Mainichi Newspapers, Japan
Community Service: The Village Voice
Special Award: Douglass Cater, The Reporter
1959 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: A.M. Rosenthal, The New York Times
National Reporting: Nathaniel Gerstenzang, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: William Haddad and Joseph Kahn, New York Post
Radio & Television Reporting: Av Westin and Howard K. Smith Columbia Broadcasting
Magazine Reporting: The Times Literary Supplement (London)
News Photography: Rangaswamy Satakopan, The Associated Press
Special Award: Wilbur Schramm, Institute For Communication Research, Stanford University
1958 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Chet Huntley and Reuven Frank, National Broadcasting Co.
National Reporting: Richard L. Strout, Christian Science Monitor
Metropolitan Reporting: William Haddad, New York Post
Television Reporting: Gabe Pressman, WRCA-TV
Radio Reporting: Jay McMullen, Columbia Broadcasting System
Magazine Reporting: Marya Mannes, The Reporter
News Photography: Paul Schutzer, Life
Community Service: Brooklyn Heights Press
Special Award: Justice William O. Douglas
Special Award: Samuel Blackman, The Associated Press
Special Award: Walter Sullivan, The New York Times
1957 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Harrison E. Salisbury, The New York Times
National Reporting: Relman Morin, The Associated Press
Metropolitan Reporting: Mitchel Levitas, New York Post
Radio & Television Reporting: Columbia Broadcasting System
Magazine Reporting: Edmund Stevens and Phillip Harrington, Look
News Photography: Jack Jenkins, United Press News Pictures
Community Service: Edward Wakin, New York World-Telegram and Sun
Special Award: Richard D. Heffner, WRCA-TV
Special Award: Edmund C. Arnold
1956 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Hal Lehrman
National Reporting : Jack Lotto, International News Service
Metropolitan Reporting: Phil Santora, Daily News (New York)
Suburban Reporting: Mel Elfin, Long Island Press
Radio & Television Reporting: Columbia Broadcasting System
News Photography: Jack Young, United Press Newspictures
Special Award: Emanuel R. Freedman, The New York Times
Special Award: Endre Marton, The Associated Press
Special Award: Ilona Nyilas, United Press
1955 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
International Reporting: Thomas J. Hamilton, The New York Times
Foreign Reporting: Barrett McGurn, New York Herald Tribune
National Reporting: Milton Mayer, The Reporter
Metropolitan Reporting: Fern Marja, Peter J. McElroy, and William Dufty, New York Post
Suburban Reporting: Bob Greene, Newsday
Education Reporting: Gertrude Samuels, The New York Times
Radio & Television Reporting: National Broadcasting Co.
Magazine Reporting: William Attwood, Look
News Photography: William Sauro, United Press Newspictures
Community Service: Redbook
1954 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
International Reporting: Thomas J. Hamilton, The New York Times
Foreign Reporting: George Weller, Chicago Daily News Syndicate
National Reporting: Luther Huston, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: James McGlincy and Sydney Mirkin, New York Daily News
Suburban Reporting: Thomas Finnegan, Long Island Star-Journal
Wire Service Reporting: Alan J. Gould, The Associated Press - Team of Don Whitehead, Saul Pett, Ben Price, Relman Morir and Jack Bell
Radio & Television Reporting: Eric Sevareid, Columbia Broadcasting System
Television Documentary: Henry Salomon, Jr. , National Broadcasting Co.
News Photography: Maurice Johnson, International News Photos
Special Page: New York World-Telegram and Sun School Page
Community Service: WNYC
Special Award: Dan Parker, New York Mirror
Special Award: Leo Rosten, Look
1953 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Jim Lucas, Scripps-Howard Newspaper
National Reporting: James Reston, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: William Longgood, New York World-Telegram and Sun
News Photography: Peter Stackpole, Life
Community Service: Newsday
Special Award: John Crosby, New York Herald Tribune
Special Award: Business Week
Special Award: Leonard Engel
1952 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Marguerite Higgins, New York Herald Tribune
National Reporting: A.H. Raskin, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: Edward J. Mowery, New York World-Telegram and Sun
News Photography: Bob Wendlinger, New York Mirror
Community Service: Brooklyn Eagle
Special Award: Jack Gould, The New York Times
Special Award: The Reporter
Special Award: Edward R. Murrow, Columbia Broadcasting System
Special Award: Daily News (New York)
1951 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Milton Bracker and Virginia Lee Warren, The New York Times
National Reporting: Jay Nelson Tuck, New York Post
Metropolitan Reporting: Richard Carter, New York Compass
Suburban Reporting: Yonkers Herald-Statesman
Education Reporting: Kalman Siegel, The New York Times
Science Reporting: Alton Blakeslee, The Associated Press
Religious Reporting: Ann Elizabeth Price, New York Herald Tribune
Sports Reporting: Ben Gould, Brooklyn Eagle
Community Service: New York World-Telegram and Sun
Special Award: Edward R. Murrow, Columbia Broadcasting System
Special Award: Sponsor Magazine
1950 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Homer Bigart, New York Herald Tribune
National Reporting: Ira H. Freeman, The New York Times
Metropolitan Reporting: Fern Marja, New York Post
Suburban Reporting: Long Island Daily Press
Wire Service Reporting: Don Whitehead, The Associated Press
Education Reporting: Fred Hechinger and Judith Crist, New York Herald Tribune
Sports Reporting: Red Smith, New York Herald Tribune
Science Reporting: George Keaney, New York World-Telegram and Sun
Weekly Newspaper Reporting: New Canaan (Conn. ) Advertiser
Community Service: Newsday
Special Award: Daily News (New York) Straw Poll
1949 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: New York Herald Tribune Team of Six
National Reporting: Ted Poston, New York Post
Suburban Reporting: Fred Hechinger, Bridgeport (Conn. ) Herald
Wire Service Reporting: Kingsbury Smith, International News Service
Education Reporting: Lester Grant, New York Herald Tribune
Science Reporting: William Laurence, The New York Times
Radio Reporting: Don Hollenbeck,Columbia Broadcasting System
Community Service: Brooklyn Eagle
1948 George Polk Award Winners
(top of page)
Foreign Reporting: Homer Bigart, New York Herald Tribune
Metropolitan Reporting: Malcolm Jonson, New York Sun
Suburban Reporting: Larry Andrews, Nassau (L.I. ) Review-Star
Education Reporting: Benjamin Fine, The New York Times
Science Reporting: Albert Deutsch, PM
Community Service: Brooklyn Eagle