Mother Jones Wins 3 Prestigious Awards for Investigative Journalism

About: Magazine Sweeps Top Two Spots

For Immediate Release:
August 29, 2007
Contact:
Richard Reynolds
Mother Jones Magazine
415/321-1740
reynolds@motherjones.com
Kate Potterfield
Venture Communications
(202) 628-7772; kpotterfield@venturecommunications.com

The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University announced today the winners of the 2007 John Bartlow Martin Awards for Public Interest Magazine Journalism. Mother Jones magazine dominated the awards, winning both first and second place and an honorary mention.

First Place: Julia Whitty, Mike Robbins, H. Bruce Franklin et al, for "The Fate of the Ocean," a 30-page cover package that presents "a vivid and disturbing portrait of humanity's impact on the liquid seven-tenths of our planet."

Second Place: Charles Bowden, for "Exodus: Border-Crossers Forge a New America," "a stunning piece of contemporary reportage."

Honorable Mention: Sara Shipley Hiles and Marina Walker Guevara, for "Lead Astray," an investigation of offshore pollution.

"We are particularly honored," said Mother Jones editors Clara Jeffery and Monika Bauerlein, "because the John Bartlow Martin winners are chosen by some of the best public interest and investigative journalists at work today." (This year's judges included Katherine Boo and Lillian Ross, staff writers for The New Yorker, Ron Rosenbaum, Columnist for The New York Observer, and last year's first place winner, Mimi Swartz, a staff writer at Texas Monthly.) "For one magazine to receive the top two spots is unprecedented, and quite gratifying."

The awards come at a time of rapid growth for the San Francisco-based non-profit news organization. While many other media companies are closing news bureaus and cutting staff, Mother Jones is opening a seven-person bureau in Washington, D.C. The move is part of the organization’s evolution from a bimonthly magazine to an integrated print-and-online news operation. The new D.C. bureau, along with reporters in San Francisco and a network of expert freelancers, is bringing Mother Jones' brand of investigative reporting to the 24/7 news cycle.

Since its founding in 1976, Mother Jones has been a nationally recognized source of quality independent journalism. It has won four National Magazine Awards and has been a finalist for 12, including, in 2007, nominations for General Excellence and Interactive Feature. Motherjones.com, which debuted in 1993, has won two Webby Awards for political coverage.

For more information, please contact Richard Reynolds at (415) 321-1740 (reynolds@motherjones.com) or Kate Potterfield at (202) 628-7772 (kpotterfield@venturecommunications.com).