The Angolite
Encyclopedia
The Angolite is the inmate published and edited magazine of the Louisiana State Penitentiary
(Angola) in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
.
In 1976 the administration allowed the magazine to begin. Each year, six issues are published. Louisiana prison officials believed that an independently-edited publication would help the prison. The Angolite gained a national reputation as a quality magazine and won international awards under two prisoner editors, Wilbert Rideau
and Billy Sinclair
, who became co-editors in 1978. The magazine won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
and the American Bar Association
's Silver Gavel Award. In 1979, Rideau and Sinclair won the George Polk Award for the articles "The Other Side of Murder" and "Prison: a Sexual Jungle". The Angolite was the first prison publication ever to be nominated for a National Magazine Award, for which it was nominated seven times. The Columbia Journalism Review
once referred to Rideau and Sinclair as "the Woodward
and Bernstein
of prison journalism."
By 1987 Sinclair disclosed that he was an informant of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
, investigating a scheme involving the sale of pardons. The New York Times
stated "But news of Mr. Sinclair's role shattered The Angolite's credibility. Mr. Sinclair, now a snitch, has been transferred out of the prison for his own safety, leaving Mr. Rideau to confront skeptical readers and sources."
Federal authorities feared that Sinclair could be murdered in Angola. Jason Berry of The New York Times
said that "Sinclair became a pariah in the highly politicized prison system" and that Sinclair had "a bitter falling out with Rideau." Sinclair moved to the Louisiana State Police Barracks, and later, the N-5 Special Management Unit cell block in the David Wade Correctional Center
because of the stigma against "snitches" in prison. In 1987 Rideau said that he felt "betrayed" by Sinclair's actions and that The Angolite' s credibility suffered with its readers. Sinclair said that a journalist agency in a prison could not operate like one in the free world.
By 1989, Sinclair filed a $100,000 federal lawsuit against Rideau, concerning the textbook "The Wall Is Strong: Corrections in Louisiana," a University of Southwestern Louisiana composition of magazine and newspaper articles and papers from the Center for Criminal Justice Research of the university. Rideau edited the book, and about half of the book's articles originated from The Angolite. Sinclair said that four of the articles quoted in the book should have his name in the bylines, and Sinclair accused Rideau of plagiarism. Sinclair also named as defendants Burk Foster, a LSU criminal justice professor; Hilton Butler, a former warden of LSP; and Roger Thomas, a former assistant warden. Frank Polozola, the U.S. district judge, dismissed Sinclair's suit, because Sinclair had never obtained a copyright for the articles.
Rideau said that when he was incarcerated, the LSP administration began "clamping down" on the newspaper. Rideau said "If you pick up the magazine now, there's no controversy, there's no criticism of the administration or anything that's going on in the prison. There's a whole lot about sports and religion. They'll write about issues, but not about practices. Mostly it's about religion." In 2007 The Angolite received the 11th annual Thurgood Marshall Journalism Award for Print Journalism for its record of journalism.
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
(Angola) in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,111 people, 3,645 households, and 2,704 families residing in the parish. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
.
In 1976 the administration allowed the magazine to begin. Each year, six issues are published. Louisiana prison officials believed that an independently-edited publication would help the prison. The Angolite gained a national reputation as a quality magazine and won international awards under two prisoner editors, Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau
Wilbert Rideau is a former death row inmate in Louisiana, as well as an author and award-winning prison journalist. Rideau was initially convicted of murder and served time in the Louisiana State Penitentiary...
and Billy Sinclair
Billy Sinclair
Billy Wayne Sinclair is a former prisoner at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana who became famous as a journalist; he co-edited The Angolite with Wilbert Rideau....
, who became co-editors in 1978. The magazine won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
and the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
's Silver Gavel Award. In 1979, Rideau and Sinclair won the George Polk Award for the articles "The Other Side of Murder" and "Prison: a Sexual Jungle". The Angolite was the first prison publication ever to be nominated for a National Magazine Award, for which it was nominated seven times. The Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
once referred to Rideau and Sinclair as "the Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
of prison journalism."
By 1987 Sinclair disclosed that he was an informant of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, investigating a scheme involving the sale of pardons. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
stated "But news of Mr. Sinclair's role shattered The Angolite's credibility. Mr. Sinclair, now a snitch, has been transferred out of the prison for his own safety, leaving Mr. Rideau to confront skeptical readers and sources."
Federal authorities feared that Sinclair could be murdered in Angola. Jason Berry of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that "Sinclair became a pariah in the highly politicized prison system" and that Sinclair had "a bitter falling out with Rideau." Sinclair moved to the Louisiana State Police Barracks, and later, the N-5 Special Management Unit cell block in the David Wade Correctional Center
David Wade Correctional Center
David Wade Correctional Center is a Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections prison in unincorporated Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, near Homer and Haynesville. The prison is located near the Louisiana-Arkansas border....
because of the stigma against "snitches" in prison. In 1987 Rideau said that he felt "betrayed" by Sinclair's actions and that The Angolite
By 1989, Sinclair filed a $100,000 federal lawsuit against Rideau, concerning the textbook "The Wall Is Strong: Corrections in Louisiana," a University of Southwestern Louisiana composition of magazine and newspaper articles and papers from the Center for Criminal Justice Research of the university. Rideau edited the book, and about half of the book's articles originated from The Angolite. Sinclair said that four of the articles quoted in the book should have his name in the bylines, and Sinclair accused Rideau of plagiarism. Sinclair also named as defendants Burk Foster, a LSU criminal justice professor; Hilton Butler, a former warden of LSP; and Roger Thomas, a former assistant warden. Frank Polozola, the U.S. district judge, dismissed Sinclair's suit, because Sinclair had never obtained a copyright for the articles.
Rideau said that when he was incarcerated, the LSP administration began "clamping down" on the newspaper. Rideau said "If you pick up the magazine now, there's no controversy, there's no criticism of the administration or anything that's going on in the prison. There's a whole lot about sports and religion. They'll write about issues, but not about practices. Mostly it's about religion." In 2007 The Angolite received the 11th annual Thurgood Marshall Journalism Award for Print Journalism for its record of journalism.
External links
- Official website for The Angolite