June 1999
Sandra G. Boodman
"What Can You Find Out About Your
Doctor?"
The Washington Post
The good news is that more and more
physician profiles are being put online for consumers to
review. The bad news is that these profiles contain little
more information than a name, address, and specialty. The
most pertinent facts -- records of malpractice payments and
disciplinary actions -- are hidden from view. In her
investigative piece, Sandra Boodman asks how the American
Medical Association's decision to keep malpractice
information confidential affects the average consumer. The
current system doesn't help patients find good doctors,
Boodman's research reveals. If anything, the opposite is
true.
July
1999
Matthew Miller
"A Bold Experiment to Fix City
Schools"
The Atlantic
Monthly
Only 0.5 percent of the nation's school
children use vouchers (which allow low-income students to
attend private and parochial schools at the government's
expense). But the argument over vouchers is fiery.
Conservatives hail them as a cure for our educational ills.
Liberals counter-charge that vouchers could destroy our
public schools. In his thorough and comprehensive piece,
Matt Miller proposes a compromise: A large-scale trial
voucher system in a number of big cities, combined with an
increase in per-student spending in the same sinking urban
schools. It's a plan that could appease both the Left and
the Right, and improve our public education system.
Douglas Frantz
"Plenty of Dirty Jobs in Politics and
a New Breed of Diggers."
The New York Times
With political campaigns going negative
as a matter of course, politicians have begun hiring private
investigators to discredit critics and dispose of opponents.
As Douglas Frantz reports in his well-documented piece,
these investigators range from former CIA and FBI employees
to ex-journalists. Their clients include prominent public
figures like Sen. Edward Kennedy and House Judiciary
Committee chairman Henry Hyde. Frantz explores the ethical
ramifications of this trend, pointing out that
investigators' tactics can push the limits of privacy,
slander, and common decency. In more than one case, their
tactics have not only cost politicians an election, they
have also resulted in untrue allegations that irreparably
damaged unblemished reputations.
The Monthly Journalism Award
is presented each month to one or 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 two copies of the article or broadcast text) to
Monthly Journalism Award, 1611 Connecticut Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20009.
