Today marked the announcement of this year’s George Polk Awards, the first of their kind to recognize reporting across media. Among the crop of winners are a strike-breaking collaboration between the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and ProPublica and the New York Times for its “unsurpassed coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas.” 

The Times, according to an analysis from The Intercept, was among several U.S. news outlets whose coverage showed a pattern of overemphasizing Israeli deaths while de-emphasizing Palestinian ones, particularly through its use for emotive language for the former but not the latter.

There’s also more irony afoot: Polk, the awards’ titular namesake, was a CBS correspondent murdered during his coverage of the Greek civil war in 1948. And according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza has been the most deadly conflict for journalists since the nonprofit first began tracking data in 1992. 

While the series between Post-Gazette and ProPublica journalists contained hard-hitting reporting, it’s still coverage that crossed a picket line and ignored calls from both newsrooms’ unions to work with striking workers to, for example, host the series on their strike publication website, The Pittsburgh Union Progress. (The Objective covered this in October 2023.)

Both awardees underscore bigger questions about the structure of journalism awards — who gets rewarded, what the prestige means when ethical questions are raised about the work, and how those awards impact who gets opportunities to continue working in the industry. 

Besides good work, awards in journalism rely primarily on two factors: Knowledge and payment. Reporters first have to know about the awards existing, and then, for the vast majority of competitions, pay to submit an application. If they’re freelancers, or if their newsroom has limited funds, they’re left to shoulder the burden themselves. 

There are a growing number of awards programs that offer free entry, chief among them NYU’s American Journalism Online Awards.

But when accolades provide justification for hiring or greenlighting a new project, especially from freelancers who haven’t been able to get one of the dwindling full-time staff positions at a newsroom or whose background means they don’t have the same industry relationships, it’s just another way journalism is pay-to-play. 

Good journalism isn’t and shouldn’t be premised on how many awards a piece wins. One community member feeling seen through a resource guide or reflective story carries impact. So does an exposé that upends an organization or process.

And scores of thoroughly vetted pieces and thoughtful outlets have received awards. But due to the often prohibitive and opaque process of winning them, those prizes don’t always indicate or encompass the entirety of good work that’s being done. Sometimes, they can obscure it.

—James Salanga

Labor organizing in Texas newsrooms continues to grow: The Texas Tribune recognized its employees’ union on Feb. 16, three weeks after workers announced their intent to unionize. And today, workers at the Houston Landing launched the Houston Landing News Guild. Both reflects growing nonprofit newsroom unionization as workers fight for collective enshrining of their rights and greater stability in the face of layoffs. The Tribune saw the first layoffs in its history this past August, and the Landing saw shocking cuts last year. (NewsGuild, X)

More layoffs hit The Intercept, NowThis: Newsrooms continue to see cuts, with the latest impacted staff at The Intercept, which cut 15 positions last week, and NowThis, which laid off 50% of its workers. Journalists impacted can look to the community aid network for resources, including where to find local mutual aid groups and resources for moving forward. (The Guardian)

Pro-Israel group targets Post reporter: For Semafor, Max Tani reports on the 10/7 Project, a group focused on countering “misinformation about the Israel/Hamas war." It's keeping tabs on reporters it perceives as covering stories unfair to Israel, singling out Washington Post foreign correspondent Louisa Loveluck. Her coverage has centered Gaza citizens’ experiences during the ongoing Israeli bombardment. Last month, The Intercept published an analysis of U.S. media that found U.S. outlets emphasized Israeli — not Palestinian — deaths with emotive language. (Semafor)

The Daily airs a greenwashing ad: Even the New York Times’ extensive coverage of greenwashing wasn’t enough to stop The Daily from airing a misleading ad from oil giant BP. For climate-supported publication HEATED, Emily Atkin and Arielle Samuelson break down the hypocrisy in The Daily’s promise to end fossil fuel sponsorships in 2021. (HEATED) 

($) 4 days until…the deadline to sign up for “Beyond the ‘culture war’: How to cover trans issues well in an election year.”

The three-hour interactive workshop, which costs $35, is hosted by the Trans Journalists Association and developed with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Participants will get a crash course in finding and using data about LGBTQ+ people with a focus on trans issues and learn about editorial selection, framing, and telling stories about trans people and communities, among other objectives.

4 days until … the deadline to register for the 2024 Women in Journalism Workshop. The application is to confirm interest in registration, which costs $50 for students (or free for volunteers) and $75 for professionals. It’ll focus on “challenges, accomplishments and issues specific to women in the journalism industry today.”7 days until … the deadline to apply to the Du Bois Data Lab. The all-expenses-paid program is for HBCU journalism students interested in using data, design and code to help tell stories. The in-person program will run from May 29 to June 5, 2024 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Looking for a job? Here are a few places to look: INN | ONA | JournalismJobs.com | 10 Jobs and a Dog | NABJ | AAJA | NAHJ | NLGJA | @WritersofColor | MEO Jobs | Freelance Journalist Rates | Source Jobs | Opportunities of the Week ($) | West Coast Media Jobs

How about a style guide? Trans Journalist Association | Diversity Style Guide | Tribal Nations Media Guide | NABJ Style Guide | Disability Language Style Guide | AAJA Guide to Covering Asian Pacific America | NAHJ Cultural Competence Handbook | SPJ Race & Gender Hotline | AMEJA Media Resource Guide | The Press in Prison | The Conscious Style Guide | Reporting on Addiction

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