By Lucy Komisar
May 5, 2010
I have won the Sigma Delta Chi journalism award for Non-Deadline Reporting (Daily Circulation 100,001+) for “Allen Stanford’s Miami Connection.” This is the exposé I brought to the Miami Herald that told how the Florida Banking Department allowed Stanford to set up an unregulated office to move money offshore. I worked with two Herald reporters, who shared the award. It is one of the country’s major journalism prizes.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists, which presents the award, Judges chose the winners from over 1,300 entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2009. The awards were first presented in 1932.
The Society of Professional Journalists describes itself as the nation‘s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry through the daily work of its nearly 10,000 members; works to inspire and educate current and future journalists through professional development; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press through its advocacy efforts.
The awards will be presented Oct. 2 during the 2010 SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference in Las Vegas.
This comes on top of the National Headliner Award we won for the Stanford story in March.
Congratulations Lucy! Well-deserved and hard-earned recognition for a major story that the mainstream refuses to explore in depth. In particular, the corruption and coverups institutionalized in places like Florida (especially under Gov. Bush and his successor, Charles Christ) are what makes operations like Stanford’s possible.
Three weeks ago, it made the news (just once) that former president GHW Bush and his son Jeb had visited Barack Obama personally at the White House for a long Saturday afternoon. A very depressing report.
Is there any chance of consequences for Florida regulators and officials who facilitated and protected Stanford’s operation? Hope so.
Do you see the Obama administration inclined to do *anything* about this beyond going along with a couple of sham prosecutions (Madoff, Stanford)?
Congrats again and keep up the good fight!