2006 SAJA Journalism Award Winners

The student winners will receive an additional cash prize.

SAJA Journalism Leader Awards Tom Curley, president and CEO of Associated Press Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor, NBC Nightly News

SAJA Hall of Fame Inductee

A.M. Rosenthal (posthumously) of The New York Times

CATEGORIES FOR US/CANADIAN MEDIA OUTLETS

I. The Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: Print

1. Fabian Dawson, Valerie Fortney, Michael Roberts, Ted Rhodes, Vancouver Province and Calgary Herald, for "Abandoned Brides: Canada's Shame, India's Sorrow." A joint public service investigative project y two newspapers about sham weddings by Canadians to women in India. The story, which ran over five days in October 2005, had wide-ranging impact, including changes in governmental procedures and the issuance of a religious decree condemning the practice.
2. Cam Simpson, Chicago Tribune, for "Pipeline to Peril." An investigative series about the deaths of 12 Nepalese men massacred in Iraq and how they were pawns in an international trafficking scheme, one that gets financial support from the U.S. government, which relies on an illicit pipeline of cheap labor for America's military bases in the region.
3. (tie) Amy Waldman, The New York Times, for "India Accelerating." A four-part series on India's vast new highway network, its biggest public works project since independence - and all that the project is helping to spread: capitalism, transformation of villages and AIDS.
3. (tie) BusinessWeek staff for "China & India: What You Need to Know Now." A special cover story that comprehensively compared the rise of these two giants and offered reportage, analysis and guidance for how America can do business - and compete - with both countries.

II. Outstanding story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: Broadcast (TV/Radio)

1. Anna Cater, Safina Uberoi, Wide Angle, Thirteen/WNET, for "1-800-INDIA." A documentary about how the lives of young Indian men and women working at call centers are changing - and how, they, in turn, are changing India.
   http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/india2
2. Madhulika Sikka, Jay Lamonica, Brook Runnette, ABC News Nightline, for "Bollywood 101." A special report on India's movie industry, its biggest starts and its impact on Indian culture and society.
3. Shazia Khan, NY1 News, for "Little Bangladesh ." A look at the Bangladeshi community in Brooklyn, NY.

III. Outstanding story about South Asia, or South Asians in North America: New Media

1. Arthur Rhodes, AsiaMedia, for "Sri Lanka's Presidential Election: Tamils Explain Why They Will Not Vote." A piece that explores how the country's civil war is shaping its election.
2. Shruti Mathur, Minneapolis-St. Paul StarTribune.com, for "Being Hindu." A multimedia slideshow that describes what it is to be a Hindu to a Midwestern readership.
3. Francis C Assisi, Elizabeth Pothen, INDOlink.com, for "South Asians and the US Civil War." A series that investigates the role South Asians played during the US Civil War.

IV. Outstanding editorial/commentary on South Asia, or South Asians in North America: All media

1. Bret Stephens, The Wall Street Journal, for "Chinook Diplomacy." A first-hand look at the effect of U.S. aid, delivered by Chinook helicopters and other means, on areas in Pakistan devastated by the 2005 earthquake.
2. Anindya Mukherjee, Bloomberg, for "The Evolving India." A series of columns about India's efforts to modernize its industries and its political system.
3. Swetha Iyengar, India Life & Style, for "20 Something." A series of essays by a young South Asian American, covering, race, politics, religion and more.

V. Outstanding photograph about South Asia, or South Asians in North America (single or series)

1. Tomas Van Houtryve, Time Asia , for " Gunning for Nepal." A series of photographs that depict one of Asia's deadliest conflicts.
2. John Stanmeyer, Time Asia, for "Beyond Denial." A series that portrays how India's government and wider society have yet to acknowledge the scale of the country's AIDS problem.
3. Yuri Kozyrev, Time Asia, for "Asian Journey: Ghosts of War." A series that depicts how decades of conflicts have left a permanent mark on the Afghan landscape.

See a slideshow with full-size images of the winners.

 

CATEGORIES FOR SOUTH ASIAN JOURNALISTS BASED IN THE US OR CANADA

VI. Outstanding story on any subject: Print

1. Geeta Anand, The Wall Street Journal, for "The Most Expensive Drugs." A four-part series about how well-intentioned legislation to encourage treatments for rare diseases has led to a wave of very expensive drugs, some costing patients as much as $600,000 a year .
2. Shankar Vedantam, The Washington Post, for "Psychiatry's Missing Diagnosis." A three-part series on the importance of ethnic and social differences in treating mental patients.
3. Bijal Trivedi, Wired, for "The Rembrandt Code." A report on high-tech techniques are being put to battling forgeries of classic paintings.

VII. Outstanding story on any subject: Broadcast/Radio

1. Pia Sawhney & Sanjana Singh, Chai Break Films, for "Out of Status." A documentary about four Muslim families whose lives were changed when a family member was detained or deported after 9/11.
2. Sharmeen Obaid, New York Times Television, for "Women of the Holy Kingdom." A documentary about the everyday lives of Saudi women. Produced with Jay Keuper and Maiken Baird.
3. Arun Venugopal, WNYC, for "Kabaddi in Queens." A light-hearted radio piece about the fifth annual international Kabaddi tournament in Queens and the unique characters playing this unique sport.

VIII. Outstanding story on any subject: New Media

1. Sasha Khoka, PBS Frontline/World, for "Calcutta Calling." A multimedia story about three Minnesota girls adopted as infants from orphanages in India.
   http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/01/india_calcutta.html
2. Amar Shah, ESPN, for "A Wicket Wedding." A look at an Indian American's journey to India for his wedding, where he falls in love - with a new sport.
   http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cricket
3. M. Asif Ismail, PublicIntegrity.org, for "FDA: A Shell of its Former Self." A special report about the declining ability of the Food and Drug Administration to keep the public safe.
   http://www.publicintegrity.org/rx/report.aspx?aid=722

IX. Outstanding editorial/op-ed/commentary on any subject: All media

1. Dharma Adhikari, Counterpunch, for "The Reversal of Democracy in Nepal." An in-depth analysis of current events in Nepal.
2. Shivali Shah, Southern Exposure, for "South Asian Americans in the American South." A cover-story essay that explores the experiences of South Asian immigrants in southern U.S. states.
3. Sindya Narayanaswamy, Khabar, for "Musings on Identity." An essay about a young South Asian American's visit to nonprofit in Bangalore.

X. CATEGORIES FOR STUDENTS OF SOUTH ASIAN ORIGIN IN US OR CANADA

Outstanding story on any subject by a South Asian STUDENT in the US or Canada: All media, including photography.

The student winners receive a certificate, plus a cash award as indicated below.

1. Arjun Kashyap, Michigan State University, for "The New Indian Princes." An in-depth report about prominent Indian executives and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and how their education and experiences in India shaped them. ($500.00)
2. Mayank S. Bubna, New York University, for "Artists in Exile," published in Humanus. A look at the growth of the Tibetan art movement in the U.S. and abroad. ($300.00)
3. Rohina Phadnis, University of Maryland, for "Cabbie and the City," published in ABCDLady. A profile of an Pakistani cab driver and his adventures in New York. ($200.00)

SPECIAL ONE-TIME CATEGORY FOR COVERAGE OF 2005 SOUTH ASIA QUAKE

XI. Outstanding story covering the Earthquake's aftermath: All Media

1. Janet I. Tu & Thomas James Hurst, Seattle Times, for "A Journey to Pakistan." A special report about the efforts by a Pakistani organization in Seattle to make a difference among the suffering and destruction caused by the earthquake. http://www.seattletimes.com/pakistan
2. Somini Sengupta, The New York Times, for a series of front-page and other stories that covered the earthquake from all angles.
3. (tie) Matthew Pennington, Tim Sullivan, Munir Ahmad, Associated Press, for series of stories about the human cost of the earthquake
3. (tie) Satinder Bindra, CNN, for series of breaking news reports about the earthquake and its aftermath.

ATTENTION: Winners - we need a response! All winners and finalists are provided one free convention pass (for the four days) and gala dinner ticket (in addition to a certificate). If you would like to buy a table for 10 to have your colleagues and friends cheer you on, please let us know. If you are a winner or a finalist and would like to buy a discounted ticket for just the dinner - in addition to the free one you get - please let us know. E-mail sjnews [at] gmail [dot] com?subject=Award winner response - subject line = Award winner response.

Notes: The awards were judged by journalists drawn from various newsrooms in New York and Washington, DC and the faculty of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Our thanks to all the judges.