Worth Bingham Prize

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Worth Bingham Prize

Worth Bingham, from Worth Bingham Prize.
Awarded for "The Worth Bingham Prize honors newspaper or magazine investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served."[1]
Country Flag of the United States United States
Location Washington, D.C.
First awarded 1967
Last awarded 2006
Official website

The Worth Bingham Prize, also referred to as the Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Reporting, is an annual journalism award which honors: "newspaper or magazine investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served."[1][2]

Contents

[edit] About the Prize

The prize is named for Worth Bingham, a reporter who died suddenly at the age of thirty-four.[3][4] Bingham was graduated from Harvard College in 1954 and served as an officer in the United States Navy. He joined the staff of the Louisville Courier Journal and Times in 1961, where he received a National Headliner Award for his series on "Our Costly Congress." Before he died in 1966 in an accident on Nantucket Island, he had worked his way up to assistant to the publisher.[4]

The prize is seen as a recognition of the best investigative reporting in American newspapers and newsmagazines.[5][6] The investigative reporting recognized tends to involve violations of the law, inefficiencies in government; or conflicts of interest and questions of impropriety. The three-judge panel of the Worth Bingham Prize considers the impediments the journalist faced during his or her research, their style of writing, and the impact their piece has had on the public.[1][7] Currently, the Worth Bingham Prize judges include representatives from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, Copley News Service, The New York Times, and Bloomberg News.[1] The prize itself is funded through the tax-exempt Worth Bingham Memorial Fund, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C.[1][8] In order to be eligible for the Prize, journalists may submit a single piece, a related amount of articles, or three unrelated stories. Columns and editorial pieces are also eligible for the Prize.[9] The winner is presented with a trophy and USD$10,000, at the Annual Awards Dinner of the National Press Foundation.[10][11]

[edit] Notable recipients

The first award was given in 1967 to William Lambert of LIFE magazine.[1] Past notable recipients include Seymour Hersh of Dispatch News Service in 1969, for uncovering the My Lai massacre during The Vietnam War; and Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in 1972, for their reports on the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon. Bob Woodward won the award a second time in 1987, for his reporting on secrecy and covert action in United States foreign policy.[12][13]

[edit] See also

Journalism Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Staff. The Worth Bingham Prize. Worth Bingham Prize. worthbinghamprize.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
  2. ^ Staff. "`Color of Money' Series Wins Worth Bingham Prize", The Atlanta Constitution, May 2, 1989. 
  3. ^ Staff. "About Worth Bingham", The Worth Bingham Prize, worthbinghamprize.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-10. 
  4. ^ a b Staff (October 17, 2007). Newswise Guide to Journalism Awards, 2007-2008. Newswise. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
  5. ^ Frawley-O'Dea, Mary Gail (2007). Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church. Vanderbilt University Press, Page 195. ISBN 0826515479. 
  6. ^ Woods, Keith (2004). Best Newspaper Writing 2004. Bonus Books, Inc., Page 362. ISBN 1566252342. 
  7. ^ Staff. Awards and Grants for Writers. College of the Humanities & the Arts Resources. San José State University. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
  8. ^ Brogan, Kathryn S; Robert Lee Brewer (2003). 2004 Writer's Market: 8,000+ Book and Magazine Editors Who Buy What You Write. F & W Publishers, Page 974. ISBN 1582971897. 
  9. ^ Edelson, Phyllis; Foundation Center Staff (2003). Foundation Grants to Individuals. Foundation Center, Page 710. ISBN 1931923450. 
  10. ^ Staff. Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Reporting. NPF Awards. National Press Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
  11. ^ Staff. "Worth Bingham Prize. p.2", Editor & Publisher, May 20, 1995. 
  12. ^ Staff. "W. Dallas lead series wins honor", Dallas Morning News, April 10, 1994. 
  13. ^ Staff. "Woodward Wins Journalism Award; Coverage of Secrecy in U.S. Foreign Policy Is Honored", The Washington Post, The Washington Post Company, April 23, 1987. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Chandler, David Leon with Mary Voelz Chandler (1987). The Binghams of Louisville: The Dark History Behind One of America's Great Fortunes. Crown. ISBN 0-517-56895-0. 
  • Brenner, Marie (1988). House of Dreams: The Bingham Family of Louisville. Random House. ISBN 0-394-55831-6. 
  • Bingham, Sallie (1989). Passion and Prejudice: A Family Memoir. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-55851-0. 
  • Tifft, Susan E. and Alex S. Jones (1991). The Patriarch: The Rise and Fall of the Bingham Dynasty. Summit Books. ISBN 0-671-79707-7. 

[edit] External links