George Polk Awards

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George Polk Awards in Journalism
Awarded forTo honor excellence in print and broadcast journalism
CountryUnited States
Presented byLong Island University
First awarded1949
Websitehttp://www.liu.edu/polk/

The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States. A writer for Idea Lab, a group blog hosted on the website of PBS, described the award as "one of only a couple of journalism prizes that means anything".[1][2][3][4]

History[edit]

The awards were established in 1949 in memory of George Polk, a CBS correspondent who was murdered in 1948 while covering the Greek Civil War (1946–49). In 2009, former New York Times editor John Darnton was named curator of the George Polk Awards.[5][6]

Josh Marshall's blog, Talking Points Memo, was the first blog to receive the Polk Award in 2008 for its reporting on the 2006 U.S. Attorneys scandal.[7] In 2024, The New York Times won the Polk Award for its "unsurpassed coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas",[8] leading to criticism from academics, such as Steven Thrasher, who stated the NYT's article Screams Without Words had been discredited.[9]

List of award recipients[edit]

Award categories[edit]

  • Foreign reporting
  • Radio reporting
  • Photojournalism
  • Economics reporting
  • Business reporting
  • Labor reporting
  • Legal reporting
  • National reporting
  • Internet reporting
  • Magazine reporting
  • Military reporting
  • State reporting
  • Education reporting
  • Local reporting
  • Television reporting
  • Documentary Film (introduced in 2014)

In addition, the George Polk Career Award is given in recognition of an individual's lifelong achievements.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gillmor, Dan (February 24, 2010). "Faint Praise for Citizen Journalism Misses Point". PBS. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Pengelly, Martin (February 17, 2014). "Journalists who broke NSA story in Guardian receive George Polk Awards". The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  3. ^ Bouchard, Kelley (February 18, 2013). "Reporter Colin Woodard earns prestigious award". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "Glenn Greenwald '94 to receive George Polk Award for national security reporting". New York University School of Law. February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "Former Times Editor Will Oversee Polk Awards". The New York Times. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009.
  6. ^ "Long Island University Announces 68th Annual George Polk Awards in Journalism". Long Island University. February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  7. ^ Strupp, Joe (February 19, 2008). "Slain Editor Bailey Among George Polk Award Winners". Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  8. ^ McCordick, Jack. "New York Times Under Fire For "Racially Targeted Witch Hunt" Into Leaks Over Israel Coverage". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Thrasher, Steven W. "As Journalists Are Murdered in Gaza Their Counterparts Lose Jobs in America". Literary Hub. Retrieved March 18, 2024.