The Washington Monthly's Monthly Journalism Award

Washington Monthly, July-August, 2003

OLIVER PRICHARD AND APARNA SURENDRAN "Tainted Meat" The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18-19, 2003

Starting from a meat recall at an obscure, immigrant-staffed turkey processing plant in the northern Philadelphia suburbs, Oliver Prichard and Aparna Surendran weave together an intricately detailed narrative about the governmental neglect and corporate non-accountability that have lead to a spate of record-breaking recalls of processed meat infected by bacteria. The six-part investigation is far-ranging, both in its scope and in its telling: Prichard and Surendran document not only the history and consequences of the federal decision to permit companies to pay directly the salaries of the inspectors who police their plants, but also tell the stories of the startling human cost of corrupted meat. In their series (two main articles and six supplemental ones), Prichard and Surendran shine a poignant light on a small but crucial part of the federal government's obligation that has been gravely neglected. Perhaps no longer: Four days after the series ran, Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) introduced legislation to reform the American meat inspection system.

THE MONTHLY JOURNALISM AWARD is presented each month to one more newspaper, magazine, radio, or television stories (or series of stories) that demonstrate a commitment to the public interest. We are particularly interested in reporting that explains the successes and failures of government agencies at all levels and of other institutions such as the media, corporations, unions, and foundations that contribute to the existence or solution of public problems. Please send nominations (including a copy of the article or broadcast text) The Washington Monthly Journalism Award, 773 15th Street, NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20005. Or email us at editors@washingtonmonthly.com. Nominations for stories run in June and July 2003 are due August 1 2003.