Worth Bingham Prize
Encyclopedia
The Worth Bingham Prize, also referred to as the Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Reporting, is an annual journalism
award which honors: "newspaper or magazine investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served."
in 1954 and served as an officer in the United States Navy
. He joined the staff of the Louisville Courier Journal and Times
in 1961, where he received a National Headliner Award
for his series on "Our Costly Congress." Before he died in 1966 in an accident on Nantucket Island, he had worked his way up to assistant to the publisher.
The prize is seen as a recognition of the best investigative reporting in American
newspaper
s and newsmagazine
s. The investigative reporting
recognized tends to involve violations of the law, inefficiencies in government; or conflicts of interest
and questions of impropriety. The three-judge panel of the Worth Bingham Prize considers the impediments the journalist
faced during his or her research, their style of writing, and the impact their piece has had on the public. Currently, the Worth Bingham Prize judges include representatives from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, Copley News Service, The New York Times
, and Bloomberg News. The prize itself is funded through the tax-exempt Worth Bingham Memorial Fund, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
In order to be eligible for the Prize, journalists may submit a single piece, a related amount of articles, or three unrelated stories. Columns and editorial pieces are also eligible for the Prize. The winner is presented with a trophy and USD$10,000, at the Annual Awards Dinner of the National Press Foundation
.
magazine. Past notable recipients include Seymour Hersh
of Dispatch News Service
in 1969, for uncovering the My Lai massacre
during The Vietnam War; and Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein
in 1972, for their reports on the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon
. Bob Woodward won the award a second time in 1987, for his reporting on secrecy and covert action
in United States foreign policy
.
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
award which honors: "newspaper or magazine investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served."
About the Prize
The prize is named for Worth Bingham, a reporter who died suddenly at the age of thirty-four. Bingham was graduated from Harvard CollegeHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1954 and served as an officer in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He joined the staff of the Louisville Courier Journal and Times
The Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...
in 1961, where he received a National Headliner Award
National Headliner Awards
The National Headliner Awards are a prize given out by Press Club of Atlantic City since 1935. Both broadcast journalism and print journalism are recognized, in separate categories.-External links:*...
for his series on "Our Costly Congress." Before he died in 1966 in an accident on Nantucket Island, he had worked his way up to assistant to the publisher.
The prize is seen as a recognition of the best investigative reporting in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s and newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
s. The investigative reporting
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
recognized tends to involve violations of the law, inefficiencies in government; or conflicts of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
and questions of impropriety. The three-judge panel of the Worth Bingham Prize considers the impediments the journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
faced during his or her research, their style of writing, and the impact their piece has had on the public. Currently, the Worth Bingham Prize judges include representatives from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, Copley News Service, 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...
, and Bloomberg News. The prize itself is funded through the tax-exempt Worth Bingham Memorial Fund, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In order to be eligible for the Prize, journalists may submit a single piece, a related amount of articles, or three unrelated stories. Columns and editorial pieces are also eligible for the Prize. The winner is presented with a trophy and USD$10,000, at the Annual Awards Dinner of the National Press Foundation
National Press Foundation
The National Press Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides training for journalists and awards excellence in journalism. The Foundation was established in Washington, D.C. in 1976.- Activities :...
.
Notable recipients
The first award was given in 1967 to William Lambert of LIFELife (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine. Past notable recipients include Seymour Hersh
Seymour Hersh
Seymour Myron Hersh is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and author based in Washington, D.C. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine on military and security matters...
of Dispatch News Service
Dispatch News Service
Dispatch News Service is a left-leaning news agency founded in 1968 by David Obst and Michael Morrow.DNS was the original outlet to purchase Seymour Hersh's story about the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, pushing it on 35 newspapers at $100 apiece....
in 1969, for uncovering the My Lai massacre
My Lai Massacre
The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and...
during The Vietnam War; and Bob 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 Carl 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...
in 1972, for their reports on the Watergate scandal involving Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. Bob Woodward won the award a second time in 1987, for his reporting on secrecy and covert action
Covert operation
A covert operation is a military, intelligence or law enforcement operation that is carried clandestinely and, often, outside of official channels. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation...
in United States foreign policy
Foreign relations of the United States
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. The United States federal statutes relating to foreign relations can be found in Title 22 of the United States Code.-Pacific:-Americas:-Caribbean:...
.