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Working under
intense deadline pressure, Jodi Enda wrote a poignant story about an
emotional day in Kosovo. To witness the President of the United States
urging cheering refugees to wait until it was safe to return home, Enda
endured a hairaising auto ride, hostile Macedonian guards, and a one
mile sprint--laptop and notebooks in tow, arriving at the site at the
same moment as the President. The story that resulted is in the finest
tradition of the Merriman Smith Award. Read
the winning entry The reporting was accurate,
balanced and fast. With obligations to other news programs and with
the time needed to edit the videotape, Gary Nurenberg had less than
an hour to write the story. "Monica Lewinsky Deposed" is a strong
example of what television journalists can do to put breaking events
into perspective, combining tape from various places with smart editing,
clear writing and--above all--a strong and sophisticated understanding
of the story. The judges
found Jeanne Cummings had a deep understanding of White House operations
and operatives. Her Wall Street Journal stories covered a variety of
issues and demonstrated her versatility in both reporting and writing.
Cummings may be young, but her writing shows great wisdom. She has an
outstanding ability to paint pictures with words and make the reader
feel as if he or she is witness to the insider decision making process.
Read
the winning entry
Read more about the winner The 2000 Edgar A. Poe Award Sam Roe The Toledo Blade Sam Roe of the Toledo Blade is cited for exposing a major health risk to nuclear weapons plant workers that was concealed by the U.S. government for half a century. In nominating Roe, Blade Executive Editor Ron Royhab said: "The series, the culmination of a 22-month investigation by Mr. Roe, exposed a 50-year pattern of deliberate and dangerous misconduct by the U.S. government and the American beryllium industry - wrongdoing that caused the injuries and deaths of dozens of workers producing the metal, which is used in nuclear bombs and weapons." Since the series
ran, the Blade said, the government conceded for the first time last
January that American workers had developed a wide range of cancers
from radiation exposure at nuclear weapons plants - the main finding
of the beryllium-related study ordered by President Clinton. In February,
Clinton's 2001 budget asked for compensation for beryllium victims.
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