The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, in association with the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), announce the Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting, to be presented for the first time in 2018. The award includes a $10,000 cash prize.
The Nina Mason Pulliam Award will recognize the “best of the best” of environmental reporting. The winning entry will be chosen from among the first-place winners of SEJ’s seven award categories, and will be recognized at SEJ’s 28
th
Annual Conference in Flint, MI, Oct. 3-7. In addition to the cash prize, the award includes up to $2500 to cover registration, travel and hotel expenses for the winner, or representatives of the winning team, to attend the annual SEJ conference.
The new award was named in honor of Nina Mason Pulliam, a journalist, businesswoman and philanthropist, who with her husband, Gene, established Central Newspapers, Inc., a national newspaper corporation, in 1934. Upon her death in 1997, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust was established to support the causes most important to Pulliam: helping people in need, especially women, children and families; protecting animals and nature; and enriching community life, primarily in her home communities of metropolitan Phoenix and Indianapolis.
In recent years, the Trust has sharpened its focus on the environment, expanding the organization’s efforts in education and advocacy. In 2016, the Trust provided grants to underwrite environmental reporting teams at The Arizona Republic and The Indianapolis Star, newspapers formerly owned by Pulliam, to allow the newspapers to dedicate more time and resources to in-depth environmental reporting. The Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting further extends the Trust’s support for environmental reporting.
“Nina understood the power of the media – its role in educating the public, holding policymakers accountable, conducting investigative journalism, and keeping critical community and social issues top of mind,” said Trust President and CEO Gene D’Adamo, when announcing the award at the SEJ conference in Pittsburgh in October 2017. “With this award, we bring together two of Mrs. Pulliam’s greatest passions, the environment and journalism. We believe an important part of protecting the environment is ensuring our citizens are aware and informed, so they can make better personal choices and demand important changes from policymakers.”
“SEJ’s Awards program exists to shine a light on the most important stories on the planet,” said interim co-executive director Chris Bruggers, “and the Nina Mason Pulliam Award will help that light shine brighter and farther at a time when both journalism and the environment are under fire. Recognizing great environmental journalism is one of the strongest means of ensuring credible and robust reporting -- which is critical if we want communities to be informed and engaged on environmental issues.”
SPJ President Rebecca Baker said: “SPJ is thrilled to partner with the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and the Society of Environmental Journalists. Today, more than ever, scientific journalism plays a crucial role in informing and educating citizens about the global effects of complex environmental issues. Sharing information about the importance of protecting the environment is a challenge in any field, and journalists’ ability to craft a compelling story focused on these vital social issues is deserving of this level of recognition. The Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting perfectly exemplifies the truth-seeking, fact-driven and public-serving principles that define quality journalism.”
For more information about the Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting, visit
SEJ Awards 2018
About the Society of Environmental Journalists
The
Society of Environmental Journalists
was founded in 1990 by a small group of award-winning journalists, including reporters, editors and producers working for The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, Turner Broadcasting, Minnesota Public Radio and National Geographic. Today, SEJ's membership includes more than 1,300 journalists and academics working in every type of news media in the United States, Canada, Mexico and 27 other countries.
SEJ's reputation for excellence, service, and integrity has been built upon annual conferences hosted by distinguished universities, scores of regional events, unique publications, its awards program, training sessions and an extensive membership network.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization, SEJ provides educational opportunities and vital support to journalists of all media who face the challenging responsibility of covering complex environmental issues.
About the Society of Professional Journalists
About the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust seeks to help people in need, especially women, children and families; to protect animals and nature; and to enrich community life primarily in metropolitan Phoenix and Indianapolis. The Trust has awarded more than $292 million in grants and student scholarships since its inception in 1997. For more information, visit www.ninapulliamtrust.org.
