MADISON – Four entries were selected as finalists for the 2020 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics, UW-Madison’s Center for Journalism Ethics announced Monday.
The winner will be announced March 16 and will be presented with the award at a May 13 ceremony at the University Club in New York City. The ceremony program also will feature The Washington Post‘s David Maraniss interviewing Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and fellow UW-Madison alumnus Lynsey Addario.
Recent winners of the award include the Miami Herald reporters who investigated Jeffrey Epstein and a group of Reuters reporters for their series “The Body Trade.”
The 2020 finalists are:
- Louise Donovan and Nasibo Kabale, The Fuller Project for International Reporting and The Telegraph. “Dumped babies are just the tip of the iceberg: The deadly consequences of curbing reproductive rights” was an investigative report on how Kenya’s restricted access to prenatal care, contraception and reproductive services is leaving women in increasingly desperate situations. According to the nomination, the reporters had to highlight the government’s repeated failure to provide women’s healthcare without shaming, blaming or exposing the women who had abandoned their babies.
- Brian M. Rosenthal, New York Times. “Taken for a Ride” was a five-part investigation that exposed one of the worst predatory lending schemes in the United States since the housing market crash, including stories on reckless loans, corrupt officials, Chicago cabbies, New York’s Taxi King and driver suicides. According to its nomination, The Times navigated a series of tough decisions about suicide and victim protection while also making a conscious effort to avoid sensationalizing the story.
- Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune. “AJ Freund case shows lapses in protection by child welfare workers” and “Two troubled people met at a McHenry County courthouse in 2012. Today, they stand charged in the murder of their 5-year-old son” chronicled how Illinois state child-welfare officials repeatedly failed to protect a 5-year-old boy who was eventually murdered by his parents. According to the nomination, Gutowski grappled with ethical issues surrounding this emotionally very difficult story such as whether to name the boy’s siblings or publish disturbing photos.
- Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica and Chicago Tribune. “The Quiet Rooms” was an investigation into the unlawful use of seclusion and restraint in Illinois public schools. According to the nomination, these reporters had to show great sensitivity in working with child victims of trauma to carefully recreate the details of their seclusion.
The Shadid Award honors journalists who exhibit a strong commitment to ethical journalism by acting with integrity, honoring ethical principles in their reporting or resisting pressure to compromise ethical principles. It is unique in recognizing the ethical challenges journalists face in balancing the interests of sources, subjects and the public.
