Niemans in the News

Roberta Baskin receives duPont award - January 12

Robert Baskin, a 2002 Nieman Fellow, and her team from WJLA-TV in Washington, DC, received a 2009 duPont-Columbia Award for "Drilling for Dollars: Children’s Dentistry Investigation." In this series, Baskin and her team investigated a chain of dental clinics that exposed small children to unnecessary and painful treatments in a scheme to profit from Medicaid.
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EXPOSÉ follows up on David Heath's investigation of pork barrel politics - January 9

David Heath, a 2006 Nieman Fellow, returns to Exposé and Bill Moyers Journal. Heath, and fellow Seattle Times reporter Christine Willmsen, unearth at least 155 hidden earmarks worth $3.5 billion in the 2008 defense bill and find that in many cases, earmarks are actually more secretive than they once were.
2008
Rick Bragg named 2009 Harper Lee Award recipient - December 18

Rick Bragg, a 1993 Nieman Fellow has been named the 2009 recipient of the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year. “I was honored to hear I had been chosen to receive the Harper Lee Award, named for a writer whose book, and its message, have spanned decades,” Bragg said.
Noblet, former AP business editor, to join Dow Jones - December 16

Kevin Noblet, a 1991 Nieman Fellow, will join Dow Jones as Deputy Managing Editor for Wealth Management. "Kevin’s extensive experience in news management, top-level editing and recruiting and training will be a valuable asset," said Brian Cronk, the managing editor of wealth management at Dow Jones Newswires.
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The Knight Center launches the book 'How to write for the web' - December 12

“How to Write for the Web” — a book by Guillermo Franco, a 2005 Nieman Fellow and digital journalist in Colombia — was published in December 2008 by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at The University of Texas.

This Spanish-language book about journalism and the Web, available free as a PDF download, includes contributions from reporters and editors throughout Latin America, some of whom have launched a Facebook discussion group of the same name.
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David Heath wins Everett McKinley Dirksen Award - December 8

David Heath and Seattle Times colleague Hal Bernton won the 2008 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Coverage of Congress for their multi-platform series “The Favor Factory.” The Times series linked earmarked votes by Seattle-area lawmakers to campaign contributions. Heath was a member of the Class of 2006.
JSU names former Star editor Waddle Ayers Chair of Communications - December 5

Jacksonville State University recently named former Star editor and veteran journalist Chris Waddle its Ayers Chair of Communications. "I have been a teacher all my career in a sense that every editor shares his or her talent with people who are coming up in the industry," Waddle said. "And teaching on campus is a more formalized way to do that." He was a member of the Class of 2005.
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Marilyn Geewax joins National Public Radio - December 4

Marilyn Geewax, Class of 1995, will join National Public Radio’s National Desk as the new Senior Business Editor starting Dec. 15. She previously was the national economics correspondent for Cox Newspapers’ Washington Bureau.
Guy Raz named Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize Winner - November 19

National Public Radio defense correspondent Guy Raz was selected as winner of the 2008 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for a three-part series entitled "Rescuing the Wounded: Iraq to Germany" which aired on NPR's “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” in October 2007. The Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize highlights a new generation of public radio journalists and seeks to inspire them to stretch the boundaries of the medium. Raz is a member of the Class of 2009.
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Ronke Olawale wins Nigerian National Media Merit Award - November 17

Ronke Olawale was honored with a Nigerian National Media Merit Award. Olawale, who is a member of the Class of 2009, received the Ernest Sisei Ikoli Prize for Newspaper Reporter of the Year. The Nigerian Media Merit Award was established in 1990 to encourage and foster positive development of media practice in Nigeria and the promotion of excellence amongst media practitioners in different fields throughout the federation.