The 2009 Pulitzer Awards were announced Monday, April 20, and three Nieman Fellows were among those honored: Eugene Robinson, Amy Nutt, and Amy Goldstein. Read more
R. Gregory Nokes, a 1972 Nieman Fellow, will have his book, "Massacred for Gold, The Chinese in Hells Canyon,'' published in October by Oregon State University Press. The book is the first authoritative account of the long-forgotten 1887 massacre of as many as 34 Chinese gold miners in Oregon's Hells Canyon. Read more
The five-part investigative series by 2006 Nieman Fellow Jeb Sharp, “Rape as a Weapon of War,” was among the recipients of the 2009 Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma. The series, produced for Public Radio International’s “The World,” examines the brutality of sexual violence in conflict zones and the medical, humanitarian, legal, and political response to it. Read more
The documentary "Jihad Sheilas," produced by Mary Ann Jolley, a 2006 Nieman Fellow, won the 'Grand Award' for Best News/Documentary at this year's New
York Festivals Television Programming and Promotions Awards. The film, which traces the journey of two Australian women from the conservative heartland of regional Australia into the maelstrom of fundamentalist Islam, was also produced by Renata Gombac and Deborah Masters. Read more
This editorial in The Boston Globe cites the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Newspapers and the exemplary work of the winners as powerful examples of the important role of newspapers. Read more
The Society of Professional Journalists announced the recipients of the 2008 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism on Monday, April 13. Amy Ellis Nutt, a 2005 Fellow, was honored for her feature article, “The Accidental Artist” in The (N.J.) Star-Ledger. Read more
Kirstin Downey, a 2001 Nieman Fellow, recently spoke with NPR's Jacki Lyden on "All Things Considered" about her new biography, “The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Francis Perkins: FDR’s Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience.” Perkins was the first woman named to a U.S. president's Cabinet and as FDR's Secretary of Labor, she worked to establish Social Security. Read more
Chris Cobler, a 2006 Nieman Fellow, recently received the Editorial Achievement Award from the Texas Daily Newspaper Association at its annual convention. The award recognizes "courage and commitment to the newsroom and leadership in the community in advocating and pursuing openness and accessibility to government." Cobler also was recently elected to the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas board of directors. Read more
The recipients of the 2009 J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project Awards for exceptional nonfiction include works by authors Jane Mayer, Timothy Brook, and Judy Pasternak. Read more
Attendance dipped to slightly over 500 compared to more than 900 in past years. Some had just lost jobs. A few others wondered how long they'd have a desk to come back to. But speakers at last weekend's Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism preached adaptation, not hand wringing. They said well-honed storytelling skills enhance print and online reporting and improve newspapers' woeful bottom lines. Read more