National Press Club Ann Cottrell Free

Animal Reporting Award

In 2005, the The National Press Club announced the establishment of the annual Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award. The first awards were presented at a dinner at the National Press Club on July 17, 2006 for work done in 2005.

2008 Entry information:  

Awards were presented at a National Press Club dinner in the summer of 2008, honoring work done in 2007. The submission deadline was April 1, 2008.

The National Press Club Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award honors excellence in reporting about animals. Established by the family of journalist and longtime Press Club member Ann Cottrell Free, who wrote extensively about animals and their welfare, this prize recognizes serious work by journalists that informs and educates the public about threats facing animals.

Categories:
1. Print/Online
2. Broadcast 

Entries must consist of a single article or broadcast or a series of related articles or broadcasts, which will be judged as a unit. A letter detailing how and why the entry demonstrates original and thought-provoking reporting should accompany the entry. Submissions that provide evidence of impact or prompted action will be given particular consideration.

Prize: $1,000 award for each category.

Applications and more information: http://npc.press.org/activities/programs/awards/2008_awards_form.pdf

2008 Winners

Print/Online:

Winner:
"Who's Watching Out for Me?" by Tim Darragh and Christopher Schnaars, The Morning Call

An investigation by reporters Tim Darragh and Christopher Schnaars of the The Morning Call found that puppy breeding and boarding kennels throughout Pennsylvania were virtually assured of passing grades from state regulators -- even with filthy living areas, cramped cages, dirty water bowls and diseased and dead dogs. After three months of negotiations using the state public records law, the newspaper was able to obtain enough data make the first-ever analysis of 20,000 state kennel inspection records. They found that kennels were getting perfect scores 9 out of 10 times -- even when wardens noted numerous violations. After their expose, the state began posting data on its Web site and legislators are working to reform antiquated state regulations which would result in better conditions for thousands of animals.

Honorable Mention:
"Horse Slaughter on the Border" by Lisa Sandberg, San Antonio Express News

By documenting the brutal slaughter of American horses at a plant in Juarez, Mexico, reporter Lisa Sandberg was able to bring to light the common practice of killer-buyers hauling horses across the U.S. border into Canada and Mexico, where they are butchered into table meat. Her reporting put a spotlight on the results of good intentions gone haywire because of lack of legislative oversight of animal exports after American horse slaughter plants were shut down last year. Sandberg followed the trail of doomed horses from a Texas auction house to inspection pens on the border and finally to a slaughter plant in Mexico. She and photographer Jerry Lara witnessed revolting and primitive conditions, including workers stabbing panicked and terrified horses with knives until they collapsed. Her reporting brought in hundreds of responses from readers and ignited efforts to renew a ban on exports and to revive the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Broadcast:

Winner:
“A Voice for the Voiceless: Brad Woodard Reports”, KHOU-TV, Houston

In 2007, reporter Brad Woodard of KHOU-TV in Houston focused a spotlight on numerous animal cruelties in the state of Texas. His reporting included hard-hitting stories on street-level dog fighting, abuse of elephants, faux fur mislabeling – including that of cats and dogs – and the barbaric slaughter of American horses across the border in Mexico. His exposure of loopholes and weaknesses in state laws helped prompt the Texas legislature to enact tougher animal cruelty statutes, reducing the suffering of thousands of animals.

Honorable Mention
"PBS Nature: Silence of the Bees", Doug Shultz

Silence of the Bees was the first in-depth look at the search to uncover what is killing the honeybee. The filmmakers take viewers around the world to the sites of fallen hives, to high-tech labs, where scientists race to uncover clues, and even deep inside honeybee colonies. Silence of the Bees is the story of a riveting, ongoing investigation to save honeybees from dying out. The film goes beyond the unsolved mystery to tell the story of the honeybee itself, its invaluable impact on our diets and takes a look at what is at stake if honeybees disappear. Silence of the Bees explores the complex world of the honeybee in crisis and informs viewers of ways they can help these extraordinary animals

2007 Winners

Print/Online:

Winner:
"What's a Dog Worth?" by Jesse Katz, Los Angeles Magazine

In 2005, in Los Angeles, 104,841 animals were put to death in the city's six municipal shelters. No other metropolitan area in the United States has killed more dogs and cats -- at least a million pets exterminated in the past decade -- more than 5 million during the past 35 years.

By following one dog - a weathered but friendly pit bull named Roy - through the machinery of the South LA shelter, Los Angeles magazine senior writer Jesse Katz , shows us that euthanasia is little more than a death of convenience, society's method for disposing of expendable pets. He reveals how the daily calculation to kill is made and who makes it. As the first LA journalist to gain access to the "bump room" since the 1970s, he is a witness the animals' last moments.

His story generated enormous response, and was designated "the talker story of the month" by one LA media outlet. Comments were robust, with one reader pointing out that the piece "wasn't just some story about stray dogs, it was a commentary on who we have become."

Honorable Mention:
"An Elephant Crackup" by Charles Siebert, New York Times Sunday Magazine

In his cover story, Siebert reveals the stunning result of the pervasive and harmful effects of human encroachment on elephants in the wild and of man's ongoing abuses of them in captivity. He illustrates the complexities and subtleties of elephant culture and consciousness, phenomena not typically accorded animals. He shows us that elephants are suffering a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder that has resulted in an unprecedented number of attacks on humans. His reporting reveals that elephants are losing their battle to survive -- and that we are witnessing a precipitous collapse of elephant culture brought on by decades of poaching and habitat loss.

Broadcast:

Winner
"Puppy Heartbreak", WTVJ/NBC 6, Miami, Florida

In a four month investigation, which resulted in a nine-part series , WTVJ TV took a close look at the practices of the self-proclaimed "world's largest celebrity pet store", based in South Florida. What it found was shocking.

The station talked to scores of customers whose dogs became very ill or died shortly after purchase. WTVJ conducted hundreds of interviews and reviewed more than a thousand public records related to complaints about the store. By gaining access to a pet store industry Internet auction site, the station was able to trace some of the dogs back to Midwest dog breeders known as “puppy mills”. The news team traveled to two of those breeders and captured inhumane and unhealthy conditions on tape – a side of the pet industry rarely seen by the public.

The series generated huge viewer reaction, including a lawsuit filed by the Florida attorney general seeking to shut down the store. The series also prompted debate in the Florida legislature to toughen consumer protection laws for pet buyers. The station received hundreds of emails, including this one, “If there is an award for superb reporting you deserve it.”

Honorable Mention

“From Stable to Table: America’s Dirty Little Secret”, KHOU-TV, Houston, Texas

When Brad Woodard’s series of reports aired on KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas, many viewers were shocked to learn that roughly 100,000 American horses were being slaughtered in the U.S. each year for human consumption abroad.

Texas is home to two of the nation’s three horse slaughtering facilities. Woodard’s reports exposed in graphic detail what goes on behind the walls of one of those facilities. Viewers were outraged and response poured in from all over the country. Many who had seen the story on television and the Internet contacted lawmakers in Washington.

In September, the American Slaughter Prevention Act was passed in the House but Congress adjourned before the Senate could consider the bill. The measure has been re-introduced in both chambers. In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a 1949 Texas state law barring the sale of horsemeat for human consumption. Appeals were rejected in March, effectively shutting down the horse slaughter industry in Texas.

2006 Winners

Print/online:

The winner of the print/online category was Ken Dixon of the Connecticut Post for his series on the slaughter of monk parakeets (read here).

The judges recognized Todd J. Gilman of the Dallas Morning News with an Honorable Mention for his report on the plight of thousands of American wild mustangs that are no longer protected by a ban on slaughter.

Broadcast:

The broadcast category winners were reporter Mike Rush and videographer/editor Mike Corry of WPMI – TV of Mobile, Alabama, for their story on hog-dog rodeos (View here).

Honorable Mention went to Wayne Havrelly of KIRO-TV in Seattle Washington for his report about an alarming number of dog deaths following the consumption of a popular dog treat.

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