The Center for Independent Media network had its best week of journalistic performance ever with a solid and consistent mix of investigative scoops, timely breaking news, and penetrating analysis of the both state and national news.
CIM would like to congratulate the Minnesota Monitor for being nominated for two awards at the annual state Society of Professional Journalists awards banquet next month. The site has been nominated for the best independent Web site award, and Paul Schmelzer’s February 2007 piece, “Annarama! Anna Nicole Smith and Experience Newspaper,” has been nominated for the Best Single News Story to appear on an independent Web site.mThe awards will be announced June 12.
Read on for highlights from the week.
Best,
David Bennehum, CEO
WashIndy had three strong pieces of accountability reporting this week.
Mary Kane explained why Fannie Mae’s practice of sticking “declining market designations” on zip code areas with lots of housing foreclosures could amount to return of redlining — and how fair-housing advocates persuaded the mortgage giant to alter its practices.
In “Big Ag Sway Clear in Senate Farm Bill,” Mike Lillis sketched how big agriculture prevailed on the farm bill, maintaining subsidies for the richest farmers and food-processing interests.
Suemedha Sood’s piece, “Dow Cleans Up Image, Not Practices,” showed how the chemical firm dominates the regulatory process at the expense of the public’s health.
While preparing for next week’s transition to Colorado Independent, the CoCo staff managed to blanket the state Democratic convention with two comprehensive reports and kept up with the hotly contested race for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd Congressional District.
Wendy Norris analyzed the legal and political forces in conflict over a proposed constitutional amendment that would codify personhood for a fertilized egg cell.
Erin Rosa reported how unions and businesses, not individuals, are putting the most money into a “right to work” ballot initiative.
MICHIGAN MESSENGER
Eartha Melzer showed how Dow prevailed in a dispute between the state of Michigan and the Army Corps of Engineers about how to clean up the dioxin contamination caused by the chemical company’s factory in Midland.
The Messenger blanketed Barack Obama’s visit to the state with reports from both Macomb County and Grand Rapids, focusing not on the horse race but on what people at the events thought of the Democratic frontrunner.
Andy Birkey’ scoop that Sen. Norm Coleman took $6,000 in contributions from lobbyists for the outlaw government of Burma lobbyists forced Coleman to say publicly that he would not return the money. The Monitor also pointed that Rep. Michelle Bachmann also took money from the same firm.
Guest analyst Dave Schultz provided the context for Paul Demko’s report that Democratic senatorial hopeful Al Franken has a new campaign manager: National party leaders think the comedian has run a joke of a campaign so far and needs help.
Media critic Paul Schmelzer made news with his report that Pulizer Prize-winner Dave Hanners had signed a petition calling for the firing of conservative columnist Katherine Kersten because of her incendiary and erroneous column on an Islamic charter. The story was picked up by national journalism blogger, Jim Romenesko.
Lynda Waddington reported on the aftermath of the biggest anti-illegal immigrant raid in American history in Postville with vivid snapshots of the assembly-line legal process and the legacy of fear left by the raid.
NEW MEXICO INDEPENDENT (NMI)
NMI also made news with its well-documented scoop, “Audit raises (millions of) questions,” which revealed a federal audit showed that $6.3 million in voter education expenditures, approved by former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, could not be accounted for. Vigil-Giron, now a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District, disputed the audit but not the accuracy of the story. The Santa Fe New Mexican picked up on the story.
Denise Tessier reported on the effort of the Mobile Food Pantry to reach poor rural New Mexicans hit by a perfect storm of high gas prices, high food prices and limited grocery story options.
DEPT. OF GOOD NEWS
“New Mexico’s Sustainability Summit” by Joel Gay (New Mexico Independent)
“Bike Wins Bike-Bus-Car Race,” by John Deeth (Iowa Independent)
“North Minneapolis residents toast demolition of troubled Big Stop Foods,” by Anna Pratt (Minnesota Monitor)