What the Grantham Prize Jurors Have to Say About the Winning Entries*

2006 Grantham Prize Winner

The Record, New Jersey, for “Toxic Legacy

In its 35 years of operation, Ford’s Mahwah, N.J., automobile-assembly plant, the nation’s largest, turned out six-million vehicles. It also produced something far more enduring, The Record newspaper revealed: millions of gallons of toxic paint sludge carrying lead, arsenic and other dangerous containments, some at 100 times allowable levels.

It is this “Toxic Legacy” that the newspaper uncovers and explores in its ambitious series. Ten journalists spent eight months investigating the actions of Ford, government officials and even the Mob in exposing residents of the woodlands of northern New Jersey – many of them low-income Native Americans – to these dangers. Today, those residents are plagued by cancer, asthma and rashes at extremely elevated rates. The water supply for one-fourth of New Jersey’s population is threatened by Ford’s sludge.

As a result of The Record’s reporting, state and federal governments are conducting a massive cleanup of the area. The Record’s “Toxic Legacy” series is environmental-watchdog reporting of the highest order, marked by exhaustive reporting, stellar writing, and an innovative multimedia presentation that sets a new standard.

The judges were pleased to find such a worthy recipient for the very first Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment.

Award of Special Merit

The New Yorker
“The Climate of Man”

Elizabeth Kolbert turns issues of climate change into a compelling narrative, imbued with passion that never becomes strident. This New Yorker series is a landmark in the literature of climate change, covering the science in simple language and making clear the enormity of the stakes for humanity.

From ancient history to current political battles over how to curb greenhouse emissions, she presents the evidence with unforced authority. She spends time with the people of the Arctic who are already being affected, and visits the Netherlands where precautions against rising sea levels are under way. She introduces readers to political leaders, to many of the key scientists who have placed the issue at the top of the environmental agenda for the 21st century, and to those who question the prevailing view. For its thoroughness, elegance and persuasiveness, "The Climate of Man" is a triumph of environmental journalism.

Award of Special Merit

Oakland Tribune
“A Body’s Burden: Our Chemical Legacy”

Douglas Fisher and the Oakland Tribune take science reporting to a new level by applying scientific method in an original investigation of the presence of toxic chemicals in a local family.

Working with scientists who supervised lab tests, and following academic protocols for protecting human subjects, the newspaper made the issue local, accessible, and compelling. The results meet both journalistic and academic standards with the strong newspaper series followed by acceptance in a peer-reviewed journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. "A Body's Burden: Our Chemical Legacy" makes the issue of environmental contaminants personal and urgent.

Award of Special Merit

WBAL TV, Baltimore, Maryland
“Dirty Secret”

WBAL’s “Dirty Secret” is good, dogged broadcast journalism.

Reporter John Sherman not only brought to light years of illegal dumping by a waste processing plant, and the state of Maryland’s knowledge of that pollution, he pushed for answers as neighbors of the plant discovered their well water was contaminated. He confronted uncooperative state officials and dug through myriad documents in his efforts, which helped prompt federal intervention and the closure of the facility.

Great photography by Beau Kershaw and a fast-paced editing style keep the series of reports interesting and compelling, even to people not personally affected by the dumping. Other local broadcasters, as well as national media, should follow WBAL’s lead and give their employees the time and resources to produce outstanding TV environmental journalism that makes a difference.

*The winner of the 2006 Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment receives an award of $75,000. The three winners of the Awards of Special Merit each receive an award of $5,000.