Announcing the 2022 Winners & Finalist of the Mike Berger Award & Paul Tobenkin Award
Columbia Journalism School announced today that reporters from the Boston Globe and The Washington Post won the 2022 Meyer “Mike” Berger Award and the 2022 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award, respectively. A reporter for The New York Times is the finalist for the Berger Award. Members of the faculty of Columbia Journalism School judged the entries.
Evan Allen, a reporter at the Boston Globe, has won the 2022 Meyer “Mike” Berger Award for “Under the Wheel.” Her story documents the life of Anthony Pledger, who is from what Boston cops call a “dynasty family.” Pledger’s father, mother, brothers, uncles and great uncles all had long and violent criminal records. These families, as Allen writes, “pass violence like an heirloom from one generation to the next.” Through deep reporting, and with elegant prose, Allen dissects the “why” behind Pledger’s actions and comes as close as possible to what all long-form narrative writers hope to accomplish--inhabiting the inner psyche of a character. The Berger Award, named after the late New York Times reporter Meyer “Mike” Berger, is awarded annually to a reporter(s) for an outstanding example of in-depth, human interest reporting. The award carries a $1,500 honorarium.
Ian Shapira, a staff writer with The Washington Post’s local enterprise team, has won the 2022 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award for his series of stories about Virginia Military Institute, the nation’s oldest state-supported military college. Shapira's investigation into the brutal legacy of racism and sexism at Virginia Military Institute was rigorous, comprehensive and movingly told. With his meticulous reporting and beautiful storytelling, Shapira gives us journalism that makes a difference by challenging Virginia Military Institute to confront its dark past. His reporting sparked a state investigation and led to changes at VMI, including the appointment of women and Blacks to major leadership positions. The Tobenkin Award honors the late New York Herald Tribune reporter, and recognizes outstanding achievements in reporting on racial or religious hatred, intolerance or discrimination in the United States. The award also carries a $1,500 honorarium.
Ellen Barry, a reporter with The New York Times, was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Berger Award for her coverage of New England. Barry is being recognized for a selection of pieces that carry on the Mike Berger tradition of deep reporting to cast light on the richness of life on the gravelly unmarked roads of the American experience.
2022 Berger Award Jurors’ Citation:
Evan Allen is the winner of the 2022 Meyer “Mike” Berger Award for her Boston Globe story entitled, “Under the Wheel.” Her story documents the life of Anthony Pledger, who is from what Boston cops call a “dynasty family.” Pledger’s father, mother, brothers, uncles and great uncles all had long and violent criminal records. These families, as Allen writes, “pass violence like an heirloom from one generation to the next.”
After covering crime for years, Allen sought to understand this phenomenon, rooted in impoverished neighborhoods. She found Pledger, serving time in federal prison, and got to know him the only way possible: through letters they wrote to each other over three years--2,000 pages of correspondence. Allen also hit the streets, talking to people who knew Pledger and his family, and she dug into court and other records. Some of the judges themselves have reported on crime, and they’ve never seen a story like this. Through deep reporting, Allen comes as close as possible to what all long-form narrative writers hope to accomplish--inhabiting the inner psyche of a character. With elegant prose, Allen dissects the “why” behind Pledger’s actions. The story is chilling and dark, and yet at the same time reveals a man trying to reckon with his past. The 1959 New York Times obituary for Mike Berger stated: “In the field of human interest...he was supreme.” Allen embodies exactly this spirit in “Under the Wheel.”
Jurors: Joanne Faryon, David Hajdu and Dale Maharidge
Link to work:
2022 Berger Award Finalist:
Ellen Barry, The New York Times is being recognized for a selection of pieces that carry on the Mike Berger tradition of deep reporting to cast light on the richness of life on the gravelly unmarked roads of the American experience. If Berger were working today, he and Ellen Barry would bump into each other on the beat.
Link to work:
A Bristling Standoff Rattles Gun-Friendly Vermont
Goodbye to a Yankee Farmer, the Ghost of Exit 8
2022 Tobenkin Award Jurors’ Citation:
Staff Writer Ian Shapira with The Washington Post has won the 2022 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award for a series of investigative stories that forced a reckoning at Virginia Military Institute. Shapira's investigation into the brutal legacy of racism and sexism at VMI was rigorous, comprehensive and movingly told. With his meticulous reporting and beautiful storytelling, Shapira gives us journalism that makes a difference by challenging Virginia Military Institute to confront its dark past. His reporting sparked a state investigation and led to changes at VMI, the nation’s oldest state-supported military college, including the appointment of women and Blacks to major leadership positions. Shapira’s investigation continues to remake the campus. For his relentless and revelatory coverage, we are proud to honor Ian Shapira of The Washington Post for his reporting on Virginia Military Institute with the 2022 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award.
Jurors: Daniel Alarcón, Dolores A. Barclay, and Ari Goldman
Link to work:
What Northam's Black VMI Schoolmates Endured 40 Years Ago
Derision, Misogyny, Sexual Assault: VMI Women Face Attacks on Campus and Online
He Was Waterboarded at VMI. His Tormentors Still Got Into the Military.