New York Times Wins Three Polk Awards

Abdi Latif Dahir, Justin Scheck and Vivian Nereim won the foreign reporting award for their coverage of the many East African women who were abused or killed after being hired to do housework in Saudi Arabia. The team uncovered a network of companies and diplomats, controlled by some of the most powerful figures in Saudi Arabia and East Africa, that was profiting.

“Abdi, Justin and Vivian were threatened, harassed and questioned by the authorities,” said Matt Apuzzo, International investigations editor. “But they kept reporting, forcing the truth into the open.”

Jan Ransom won the justice reporting award for her investigation into inmate mistreatment in New York prisons. Her powerful reporting chronicled a prison system caught in a 50-year flood of brutality and dysfunction, and her documentation of these abuses quickly spurred reforms.

“Jan was relentless in pursuing these stories, traveling across the state, fielding calls at night and visiting prisoners on weekends,” said Michael LaForgia, Metro’s investigations editor. “In collaboration with Bianca Pallaro on the Data team, she brought readers into places few New Yorkers ever visit or even think about, and the result was powerful journalism with real impact.”

And the Staff of The New York Times won the national reporting award for exclusive, unflinching and rigorous reporting that held President Trump to account as he defied democratic traditions and the rule of law. The work reveals the immense pressure on the country’s constitutional principles — a matter of vital interest to all Americans, no matter their political views. The entry was representative of a much larger body of work that demonstrated how The Times brought its resources to bear on this moment in American history.

“This award reflects the commitment of the entire newsroom to doing the kind of brave, relentless independent journalism that this period demands,” said Dick Stevenson, the Washington bureau chief. “Through scoops, investigations, analysis and graphics, all the product of extraordinary dedication and teamwork, The Times has stood strong in carrying out its mission of informing the public and holding power to account.”

The George Polk Awards were established 76 years ago by Long Island University to commemorate George Polk, a CBS correspondent murdered in 1948 while covering the Greek civil war. The awards recognize investigative and enterprising reporting that achieves results. Find the full list of winners here.