For Immediate Release

METCALF INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES GRANTHAM PRIZE AWARDS OF SPECIAL MERIT

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. – June 24, 2010 – Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting has announced the winners of this year’s Grantham Prize Awards of Special Merit. The three winners are: Dan Egan of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his ongoing environmental coverage of the Great Lakes; Cleo Paskal, author of “Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map” published in Canada by Key Porter Books and in the U. S. by Palgrave Macmillan; and Hedrick Smith Productions for the PBS Frontline documentary “Poisoned Waters.”

Each Award of Special Merit recipient receives a $5,000 cash prize.

•    Dan Egan, Great Lakes reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Dan Egan is the first person to be recognized by the Grantham Prize Jury for his ongoing environmental beat coverage. The Great Lakes rank among the nations' most treasured -- and important -- natural resources. Egan began covering the Lakes in 2003. He has continued to chronicle these issues since, and in 2009 added new dimensions to his reporting. Grantham Prize Jurors noted that Egan’s  “ongoing series, ‘Great Lakes, Great Peril,’ draws attention to years of regulatory neglect, persistent industrial and municipal pollution and, more recently, multiple assaults from invasive species that have threatened the Great Lakes. His reporting has been outstanding in chronicling the decline of this once-great ecosystem, alerting the public to new threats and forcing governments to take remedial action.”

•    Cleo Paskal, author, “Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw The World Map,” published by Key Porter Books (Canada) and Palgrave Macmillan (U.S.). “Global Warring” examines the rapid pace of global change by combining insightful economic and political analysis with the most likely environmental change scenarios, resulting in a penetrating and stylistically crafted book.  Canadian author Paskal identifies geographic regions ripe for conflict, economic trends that are shifting the global balance of power, and geopolitical realignments. In spite of the grim topic, “Paskal’s book is far from scare-mongering,” Grantham Prize Jurors observed. “Rather, it lays out policy prescriptions. This is cutting-edge journalism, the first of what will certainly be the next wave of climate change exploration.”

•    Hedrick Smith Productions (Hedrick Smith, Rick Young, Marc Shaffer, Peter Pearce, Penny Trams, Catherine Rentz, Fritz Kramer) for the PBS Frontline documentary “Poisoned Waters.”  Almost forty years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, America’s waterways remain polluted. The two-hour film documents the history and consequences of inadequate government regulation for the environment, wildlife and humankind. Grantham Prize Jurors noted that the documentary, which focuses on Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound, includes “stunning visuals of underwater dead zones, pollution plumes and mutant frogs, all demonstrating the impact of decades of development and neglect. Three years in the making, this well-researched and thought-provoking documentary makes the point that everyone bears some responsibility for water pollution while also looking at solutions, including land use policies, that are helping to prevent further damage.”

This year marks the fifth anniversary of The Grantham Prize and Awards of Special Merit, which honor outstanding coverage of the environment, and recognize reporting that has the potential to bring about constructive change. The prize was established to encourage high quality environmental journalism in all media, while drawing attention to the subject of the prize-winning stories, increasing public awareness and understanding of environmental issues.

Earlier this week Metcalf Institute announced that Alanna Mitchell, author of the book “Sea Sick: The Global Ocean In Crisis,” is the 2010 winner of the $75,000 Grantham Prize for Reporting on the Environment, awarded annually to nonfiction work produced in the United States or Canada during the previous calendar year in all media. Mitchell is the first book author and the first Canadian to win The Grantham Prize.

Established in 2005, The Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment and the Awards of Special Merit are funded by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham through The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and administered by the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting. The Grantham Foundation supports environmental research and conservation programs internationally, while Metcalf Institute provides journalists with resources, tools, and field education to accurately report on scientific news and environmental issues.

Ochberg Fellowship Deadline Nears

Reporting responsibly and credibly on violence and traumatic events — on street crime and family violence, natural disasters and accidents, war and genocide — is a great challenge. Each year, the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma selects six to ten journalists as Dart Center Ochberg Fellows.

The Ochberg Fellowship program is designed for mid-career journalists (print, broadcast and online reporters, photographers, editors and producers with at least five years of experience) who want to deepen their knowledge of psychological trauma and improve coverage of violence, conflict and tragedy.

Fellows participate in a week-long seminar program, which includes briefings by leading experts in the trauma field, and attend the annual conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

The fellowship covers all travel and ground expenses while attending the program.
Applications and all supporting materials must be received at the Dart Center by  Wednesday, July 21, 2010.