Article in Columbia Journalism Review by John Darnton, 3/14/25

Headline:  “A Little Light amid the Gloom”

Subhead:  “At a time of flagging faith in journalism—and among journalists—the Polk Awards spotlight the vital role the press still plays.”

“. . .The George Polk Awards are deluged with entries for outstanding work across all media platforms, and as curator I go through all of them. This year there were four hundred and ninety-three. . .”

“Now, I know that many newsrooms are gloomy and anxious places these days.

“But not all is dark. I can vouch that the year’s publications and broadcasts, when seen in their entirety, are wide in scope and deep in substance. The rambunctious spirit of street reporting and savvy editing is still very much alive.

“Among our winners this year are a foreign correspondent who risked his life to cover Sudan’s civil war, a health reporter who uncovered hidden commercial factors for the government’s lagging response to the outbreak of bird flu, and a national TV team that exposed the practice of a Texas medical school selling the body parts of unclaimed corpses without bothering to beat the bushes to inform next of kin. . .”

https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/little-light-amid-gloom-george-polk-awards.php