2011 Journalism Prizes
Scott Wilson: Reporting on the Presidency
Scott Wilson, White House correspondent for The Washington Post, has won the 25th 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. This year, the award will be presented by Steve Ford, son of the late President Gerald R. Ford and Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at a National Press Club luncheon in June. Following the presentation of the award, Chris Matthews will address the audience.
When announcing their decision to award Scott Wilson the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on Presidency in 2011, the judges issued the following statement:
“The judging committee has selected Scott Wilson of The Washington Post as the winner of the 25th annual Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency.
Covering the presidency with distinction in modern times is uniquely challenging. A large number of highly talented reporters – often the best in their respective organizations – are all pursuing the same news of the day, with a limited number of disciplined sources. Extreme pressure can be applied on those who go outside the familiar narrative. In this environment that encourages conformity, Scott Wilson of The Washington Post stands out as a non-conformist, bringing his readers on-the-scene analysis of White House activity that is not available anywhere else. He readily places events in historical context; he illustrates colorfully with anecdotes and first-hand observation; he explains motivations; he reports both on what the President does and, equally important, on what the President does not do. In short, he educates his readers and helps them put the confusing din of daily news coverage into an understandable context.
Wilson is able to write critically without being offensive or partisan. He reaches out broadly to sources both inside and outside the White House, yielding an even-handed perspective on the performance and results of the Obama presidency He is equally at home with domestic and foreign policy, politics, and personalities. Wilson is adept at spotting a trend and explaining it,and his reportage frequently becomes the instantly-accepted wisdom in Washington.
Scott Wilson writes for the serious reader, and consistently meets that reader’s expectations. In every respect, the judges found his reporting on the presidency in 2011 outstanding.”
The judges for this year’s contest were:
Chair, John P. McConnell, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Speechwriter to the President and Vice President; David Beckwith, former White House correspondent, Time Magazine, and former press secretary the Vice President; Paul Hagner, Adjunct Professor, Albion College; Candice Nelson, Associate Professor of Government and Director of American University’s Campaign Management Institute; Ron Nessen, Journalist in Residence at the Brookings Institution in Washington, former press secretary for President Ford; Mark Rozell, Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation sponsors the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency and Distinguished Reporting on National Defense to recognize and encourage thoughtful, insightful, and enterprising work by journalists covering the presidency and national defense. The Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation whose programs are supported entirely by contributions and bequests in an effort to honor President Ford’s sustained commitment to public service.
For more information about the annual prize or previous winners contact: Joe Calvaruso, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, 303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5353, (616) 254-0397, jcalvaruso@38foundation.org or visit our website at https://geraldrfordfoundation.org .
This year’s winner:
Scott Wilson is a White House correspondent for the Washington Post. He previously served as the paper’s deputy assistant managing editor for foreign news, Jerusalem bureau chief, Middle East correspondent based in Amman, Jordan, and Andean bureau chief based in Bogotá, Colombia. He has received awards and citations from the Overseas Press Club and the Inter American Press Association for his work abroad, and he won the 2012 Aldo Beckman Memorial Award given by the White House Correspondents’ Association for his coverage of the Obama administration. A native of Santa Barbara, Ca., Wilson began at the Post in 1997. He is a graduate of Amherst College and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where he won the David Marcus Eibel Scholarship Award. He lives in Glen Echo, Maryland, with his wife, Andrea, and their three children.
Corinne Reilly: Reporting on the National Defense
Corinne Reilly who reports on military affairs for The Virginian-Pilot, has won the 25th 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. This year, the award will be presented by Steve Ford, son of the late President Gerald R. Ford and Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at a National Press Club luncheon in June. Following the presentation of the award, Chris Matthews will address the audience.
When announcing their decision to award Corinne Reilly the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense in 2011, the judges issued the following statement.
“From this remarkable group of entries, the judges have selected Corinne Reilly from The Virginian-Pilot for the 2011 Gerald Ford Award for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. Ms. Reilly’s poignant writing, which covered the NATO combat hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was at once horrifying and riveting. None of the judges could put her work down once they started reading it.
The series, aptly entitled “A Chance in Hell,” described a military system that fights with equal determination for the survival of all of its seriously wounded patients – from soldiers in the field to Sam 80, a 10-year old Afghani child shredded by an IED. Ms Reilly’s stories provided a window not only on the trauma to injured soldiers but to the emotional impact on the international medical teams and care-givers who treat them. In a very direct way, this set of articles helps bring the reality of war to a public largely disconnected from the war.
The judges were impressed with the clarity of Ms. Reilly’s writing. Her straightforward, conversational style – largely without the flourish of adjectives – was nonetheless powerful and profoundly moving. The judging panel felt that her work helped foster better understanding of national defense issues and more than admirably met the Foundation’s criteria for quality, insightfulness, resourcefulness and brevity.”
The judges for this year’s contest were:
Chair, Debra van Opstal, Executive Director, US Resilience Project; Michael Champness, Reserve Colonel on active duty, Senior Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Deputy Director of Operational Capability Requirements at Air Force Headquarters; Robert Holzer, Principal Analyst, National Security Programs, Gryphon Technologies, and recipient of the 1998 Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense; David M. Olive, Principal at Catalyst Partners with more than 30 years experience in business, politics, law, and public affairs, including establishment of The Washington Homeland Security Roundtable; Erik Peterson, Managing Director of the Global Business Policy Council at AT Kearney and Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Karen Scowcroft, Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel – Financial Services for CIT Group Inc.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation sponsors the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency and Distinguished Reporting on National Defense to recognize and encourage thoughtful, insightful, and enterprising work by journalists covering the presidency and national defense. The Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation whose programs are supported entirely by contributions and bequests in an effort to honor President Ford’s sustained commitment to public service.
For more information about the annual prize or previous winners contact: Joe Calvaruso, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, 303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5353, (616) 254-0397, jcalvaruso@38foundation.org or visit our website at https://geraldrfordfoundation.org .
This year’s winner:
Corinne Reilly reports on military affairs for The Virginian-Pilot. She joined the paper in 2009 after four years covering local government and higher education at the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star, her first newspaper. She has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti, and was named a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. A native of San Jose, Calif., she is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara and lives in Norfolk, Va.
Sean Naylor: Reporting on National Defense Honorable Mention 2011
Sean Naylor staff writer for Army Times has won Honorable Mention for the 25th annual Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. The award recognizes journalists whose high standards for accuracy and substance help foster a better public understanding of National Defense. This year, the award will be presented by Steve Ford, son of the late President Gerald R. Ford and Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at a National Press Club luncheon in June. Following the presentation of the award, Chris Matthews will address the audience.
When announcing their decision to award Sean Naylor the Honorable Mention Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense in 2011, the judges issued the following statement:
“For Honorable Mention, the judges selected Sean Naylor from Army Times. The panel felt that Mr. Naylor’s articles provided prescient insights into a volatile, dangerous and strategically critical part of the world. His in-depth research, excellent sources and ability to connect the dots provided important information on an area that has to date received relatively little attention in the press.”
The judges for this year’s contest were:
Chair, Debra van Opstal, Executive Director, US Resilience Project; Michael Champness, Reserve Colonel on active duty, Senior Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Deputy Director of Operational Capability Requirements at Air Force Headquarters; Robert Holzer, Principal Analyst, National Security Programs, Gryphon Technologies, and recipient of the 1998 Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense; David M. Olive, Principal at Catalyst Partners with more than 30 years experience in business, politics, law, and public affairs, including establishment of The Washington Homeland Security Roundtable; Erik Peterson, Managing Director of the Global Business Policy Council at AT Kearney and Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Karen Scowcroft, Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel – Financial Services for CIT Group Inc.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation sponsors the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency and Distinguished Reporting on National Defense to recognize and encourage thoughtful, insightful, and enterprising work by journalists covering the presidency and national defense. The Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation whose programs are supported entirely by contributions and bequests in an effort to honor President Ford’s sustained commitment to public service.
For more information about the annual prize or previous winners contact: Joe Calvaruso, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, 303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5353, (616) 254-0397, jcalvaruso@38foundation.org or visit our website at www.geraldrfordfoundation.org .
This year’s Honorable Mention:
Sean D. Naylor, 45, is a senior writer for Army Times, where he has worked since June 1990. His principal beat is special operations forces. Previously he covered combat operations, exercises, training, readiness, weapons systems, force modernization and the Army’s senior leadership.
Mr. Naylor received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University in 1988 and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the same institution in 1990. In 1987 he traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan as a freelance reporter covering the Afghan mujahideen, meeting and conversing with Jalaluddin Haqqani, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Hamid Karzai, among others.
Since joining Army Times, Mr. Naylor has covered military operations as an embedded reporter in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, most recently spending a month with U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan in 2010.
His coverage of 2002’s Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan earned him the White House Correspondents Association’s 2003 Edgar A. Poe award for excellence in reporting an issue of regional or national importance. It also led to a best-selling book, Not A Good Day To Die – The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, published in March 2005 by Berkley Books, New York, N.Y. Mr. Naylor is also the co-author, with Tom Donnelly, of Clash of Chariots – The Great Tank Battles, published by Berkley to favorable reviews in 1996. He is currently on leave from Army Times, working on a book about Joint Special Operations Command.
Born in Canada, and raised in England and Ireland, Mr. Naylor became a U.S. citizen on March 14, 2000. He lives in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill, reluctantly hung up his rugby boots 11 years ago after a 25-year playing career, and is an avid soccer fan.