American Geophysical Union Honours Journalists

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WASHINGTON – Dan Vergano of USA Today, Michelle Nijhuis of High Country News, and The Times-Picayune have won the American Geophysical Unionโ€™s 2006 journalismย awards.

Vergano will receive the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalismโ€“News for his article, โ€œThe debateโ€™sย over:

Globe is warming,โ€ USA Todayโ€™s cover story on 13 Juneย 2005.

Nijhuis will receive the Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalismโ€“Features for a three-part series with the overall title, โ€œHot Times: Global Warming in the West,โ€ front- paged in High Country News on 24 January, 18 April, and 17 Octoberย 2005.

The Times-Picayune will receive a special award for its consistently excellent coverage of scientific research demonstrating the vulnerability of New Orleans to hurricanes and other environmental impacts in the years prior to Hurricaneย Katrina.

This yearโ€™s Perlman and Sullivan Awards honor two writers on climate change, representing Americaโ€™s largest dailyย (circulation

2,300,000) and a twice-monthly newspaper, published by a nonprofit organization in western Colorado (circulationย 24,000).

The Times-Picayune is the only general circulation daily in New Orleans, with a pre-Katrina daily circulation of aroundย 260,000.

In choosing Verganoโ€™s USA Today article, the Perlman Award selection committee said, โ€œRather than rehashing the debate of the existence of global warming and the accuracy of predictive climate models, his exceptional articleโ€ฆpropels us forward through an emerging realization of the global, severe societal impact of global warming to the harsh economic, moral, and technical realities facing industry and policy makers. Mr. Vergano is unusually effective in revealing the linkages between the science of climate change and the complexity of technical and economic decisions facing its mitigation.โ€ The winning article may be read at http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-06-12-global-warming-cover_x.htm

In recognizing the reporting of Michelle Nijhuis (pronouncedย nye-

house) in High Country News, the Sullivan Award selection committee said, โ€œThis series of articles did a particularly good job of combining science, policy, and human interest in telling the story of global warming from a regional perspective. It was particularly well-written, discussing the techniques used to document paleoclimate throughout the western United States and how to estimate future climatic conditions. The articles include discussions of historical work of considerable interest as well as modern science so it is possible for the reader to see the progression of knowledge with time. By writing a series of articles on a common underlying topic, Nijhuis is able to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of global warming research and its effect on natureโ€ฆ.It is an excellent example of science writing for the public; engaging, informative, unbiased, and easy to follow.โ€ The winning series may be readย at

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15219

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15431

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15837 />

The special AGU award to The Times-Picayune originated with a recommendation from AGUโ€™s Public Information Committee, which praised the newspaperโ€™s diligent efforts over a period of years to inform its readership about such matters as wetland preservation, land subsidence, levee reinforcement, storm surge, and hurricane prediction. In June 2002, the paper introduced a five- part series, โ€œWashing Away,โ€ written by John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein, with a banner warning: โ€œItโ€™s only a matter of time before southern Louisiana takes a direct hit from a majorย hurricane.

Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day.โ€ A sampling of other articles from recent yearsย includes:

โ€œEroded defensesโ€ โ€“ damage to barrier islands from Hurricane George and the resulting danger to the Louisiana coastย (2002)

โ€œTurning the Tideโ€ โ€“ relationship between oil and gas drilling and land subsidenceย (2003)

โ€œCoastal erosion theories collideโ€ โ€“ oil production or geological faults?ย (2003)

โ€œScientists discuss solutions for โ€˜dead zoneโ€™โ€‰โ€ โ€“ call to rebuild hardwood forests upstream and wetlands along coastย (2004)

โ€œForces of destructionโ€ โ€“ Hurricane Ivanโ€™s damage to highway bridges in Florida could be replicated hereย (2004)

โ€œArctic ice loss could hurt wetland effortsโ€ โ€“ melt could raise sea level and damage coastal wetlandsย (2004)

โ€œLevees donโ€™t measure up, Corps warnsโ€ โ€“ some are not actually as high as thoughtย (2004)

โ€œKatrina bulks up to become a perfect stormโ€ โ€“ much of eastern New Orleans could be flooded (August 28,ย 2005)

The AGU journalism awards will be presented during Honors Evening at the AGU/GS/MB/ MSA/SEG/UGM Joint Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland, 23-26 May [http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja06/]. The Sullivan and Perlman Awards are named for Walter Sullivan, late science editor of The New York Times, and David Perlman, science editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, respectively. These awards consist of a plaque and a $2,000 stipend. The special award to The Times- Picayune will consist of a plaque./>

AGU is the worldโ€™s largest organization of Earth and space scientists, with 45,000 members worldwide. One of its goals is to encourage excellence in reporting science news to the general public, through journalism awards, mass media fellowships, communications workshops for scientists, and otherย programs.

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