George Polk Awards

Not to be confused with the George Polk Award that was presented (1948–1973) by the Overseas Press Club of America.

The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States. A writer for Idea Lab, a group blog hosted on the website of PBS, described the award as "one of only a couple of journalism prizes that means anything".^[1][2][3][4] The award is described as follows:

For 75 years, LIU has been the proud home of the George Polk Awards in Journalism, the first major award of its kind to recognize reporting across all media. This prestigious honor focuses on the intrepid, bold, and influential work of the reporters themselves, placing a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful, and thought-provoking.^[5]

George Polk Awards in Journalism
Awarded for	To honor excellence in print and broadcast journalism
Country	United States
Presented by	Long Island University
First awarded	1949
Website	www.liu.edu/polk/

History

20th century

The awards were established in 1949, in memory of George Polk, a CBS News correspondent who was murdered in March 1948 while covering the Greek Civil War.

21st century

In 2008, Josh Marshall's blog, Talking Points Memo, was the first blog to receive the Polk Award in recognition of its reporting on the 2006 U.S. Attorneys dismissal scandal.^[6]

In 2009, John Darnton, a former editor with The New York Times, was named curator of the George Polk Awards.^[7][8]

In 2024, The New York Times was awarded three Polk Awards for the newspaper's "unsurpassed coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas".^[9][10] Steven Thrasher criticized the issuance of the awards to the New York Times, saying that the newspaper's article, "Screams Without Words", had been discredited.^[11]

List of award recipients

Main article: List of George Polk Award winners

Award categories

• Foreign reporting
• Radio reporting
• Photojournalism
• Economics reporting
• Business reporting
• Labor reporting
• Legal reporting
• National reporting
• Internet reporting
• Magazine reporting
• Military reporting
• State reporting
• Education reporting
• Local reporting
• Television reporting
• Documentary Film (introduced in 2014)

In addition, the George Polk Career Award is given in recognition of an individual's lifelong achievements.

References

1. Gillmor, Dan (February 24, 2010). "Faint Praise for Citizen Journalism Misses Point". PBS. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
2. Pengelly, Martin (February 17, 2014). "Journalists who broke NSA story in Guardian receive George Polk Awards". The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
3. Bouchard, Kelley (February 18, 2013). "Reporter Colin Woodard earns prestigious award". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
4. "Glenn Greenwald '94 to receive George Polk Award for national security reporting". New York University School of Law. February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
5. "The George Polk Awards". Long Island University. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
6. Strupp, Joe (February 19, 2008). "Slain Editor Bailey Among George Polk Award Winners". Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
7. "Former Times Editor Will Oversee Polk Awards". The New York Times. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009.
8. "Long Island University Announces 68th Annual George Polk Awards in Journalism". Long Island University. February 21, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
9. McCordick, Jack (March 2, 2024). "New York Times Under Fire For "Racially Targeted Witch Hunt" Into Leaks Over Israel Coverage". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
10. Katie Robertson (February 19, 2024). "The New York Times Wins 3 Polk Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
11. Thrasher, Steven W. (February 27, 2024). "As Journalists Are Murdered in Gaza Their Counterparts Lose Jobs in America". Literary Hub. Retrieved March 18, 2024.