2007 Journalism Prizes

Peter Baker: Reporting on the Presidency

Peter Baker, The Washington Post White House correspondent, has won the 21st annual Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency. The $5,000 award recognizes journalists whose high standards for accuracy and substance help foster a better public understanding of the Presidency. The award was presented by Jack Ford, son of the late President Gerald R. Ford and chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at a National Press Club luncheon on June 2, 2008. Following the presentation of the awards, Vice President Cheney addressed the audience.

When announcing their decision to award Peter Baker the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2007, the judges issued the following statement:

“The judges for the Gerald R. Ford Prize for distinguished reporting on the Presidency have unanimously chosen Peter Baker of the Washington Post to receive this prize for 2007. Peter Baker has written an exceptionally trenchant appraisal of President George W. Bush in his penultimate year in office. He has portrayed a beleaguered President with insight, clarity, and compassion, balancing accomplishments against goals and aspirations.

Mr. Baker has given us an even-handed account of the odds President Bush faced and the limited success of his initiatives. Beyond the dynamics of crisis and response, Mr. Baker presents to his readers the character of this President, a leader confident of his actions, at peace with himself, and secure in his abiding faith.

We compliment Mr. Baker on his diligence in finding, interviewing, and using respected and relevant sources. We find both his reporting and his writing to meet the highest standards of informative and responsible journalism.”

The judges for this year’s contest were:
Chair, James M. Cannon, former journalist and political advisor; Candice Nelson, associate professor of Government and Director of American University’s Campaign Management Institute; Mark Rozell, professor of Public Policy at George Mason University; Hal Bruno, retired journalist and political director for ABC News; and Jack Nelson, former Bureau Chief of the Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau and Pulitzer Prize-winner.

Rick Atkinson: Reporting on the National Defense

Rick Atkinson, a reporter for The Washington Post, has won the 21st annual Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. The $5,000 award recognizes journalists whose high standards for accuracy and substance help foster a better public understanding of National Defense. The award was presented by Jack Ford, son of the late President Gerald R. Ford and chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at a National Press Club luncheon on June 2, 2008. Following the presentation of the award, Vice President Richard Cheney addressed the audience.

When announcing their decision to award Rick Atkinson the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense in 2007, the judges issued the following statement:

“The judges are pleased to report the selection of Rick Atkinson of The Washington Post as the winner of the 2008 Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. Mr. Atkinson’s series of articles, Left of Boom, brought clarity to the US effort to defeat IED’s — a complex issue and one that has become a critical factor in the Iraq conflict.

The judges felt that Mr. Atkinson delivered an original perspective, great depth of analysis and a wealth of investigative research to the topic, spanning the spectrum of tactical, strategic, organizational and technology challenges. The panel concluded that his series illuminated these issues not only for the general public, but for public officials as well.

Overall, the articles tell a cogent story of conflict in the 21st century – a continual race between offense and the defense, technology and countermeasures. It offered a singular degree of readability, interweaving views from top military strategists to bomb technicians on the “long walk” to Iraqis witnesses on the ground. The judges commend Mr. Atkinson for a timely, impressive and well written work.”

The judges for this year’s contest were:
Chair, Debra van Opstal, Senior Vice President for Policy and Programs, Council on Competitiveness; Peter Rodman, Senior Fellow for the Brookings Institution; Robert Holzer, Director of Outreach for the Secretary of Defense’s Office of Force Transformation; Erik Peterson, Senior Vice President, Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Mike Champness, Principal Enterprise Systems Engineer in the Transportation Security Division at the MITRE Corporation.