Written Journalism Awards
AAPI Excellence: Sikh drivers are transforming U.S. trucking
Jaweed Kaleem | Los Angeles Times
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Rich in detail, laced throughout with data and photographs, and topped off by a mini-documentary, Jaweed Kaleem provides an intimate look at the community of Sikh immigrants taking on jobs in one of America’s biggest industries.
JUDGES’ REMARKS: The details throughout the piece are incredibly thoughtful and a great example of "show not tell" writing. The author expertly weaves in statistics and facts without drawing from the main thread about the driver's journey. Truly a great series with reporting and writing to back it up. Strong writing, thoughtful reporting, well-researched, exceptionally thorough.
Jaweed Kaleem is a national correspondent at the Los Angeles Times who frequently reports on religion, immigrant communities, civil rights and race.
Before joining The Times in 2016, Kaleem was the national religion reporter at HuffPost. From 2007-11, he was a religion and general assignment reporter for the Miami Herald.
Jaweed has long been a proud member of AAJA and went to his first convention in Miami in 2007. He attended Emerson College in Boston and grew up in Northern Virginia.
General Excellence (tie): Epidemic of Fear
Erika Fry | Fortune
ABOUT THE PROJECT: In an eerily timely piece given the pandemic that has since broke out across the globe, Erika Fry explores the societal response around a vaccine for dengue fever that debuted in the Philippines in 2019.
JUDGES’ REMARKS: Wow. This is an incredible piece of journalism, and couldn't be more timely in 2020. Great reporting and astonishingly well-told. Truly tragic and the dictionary definition of a cautionary tale. Thorough and well-done.
Erika Fry is a senior writer at Fortune where she writes features and investigative pieces on healthcare and international business.
Before joining Fortune in 2012, Erika worked as a writer and associate editor at Columbia Journalism Review and from 2006-2010 as an investigative reporter with the Bangkok Post.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Erika graduated from Dartmouth College and received an MA in political journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
General Excellence (tie): New Red Scare
Peter Waldman | Bloomberg
ABOUT THE PROJECT: This document-driven piece breaks down the intricate and extensive issue of China’s role in acquiring intellectual property, and how it may fuel paranoias that are implicitly entangled with racism.
JUDGES’ REMARKS: A fascinating story about a complex issue. The reporter was extremely resourceful in piecing together Wu's story through documents, interviews and records retrieved via FOIA requests. The writing is clear but nuanced, allowing readers to form their own opinions.
Peter Waldman is an investigative reporter for Bloomberg News. He joined Bloomberg in 2009 after two years as a senior writer at Conde Nast Portfolio magazine and 22 years as a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal.
Peter has written widely and deeply about the Middle East, Southern Asia, the environment, business, technology, law and civil rights. His work has won awards and commendations from the National Press Club, the Overseas Press Club, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Society of Environmental Journalism, among others.
The native of San Francisco graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in history from Brown University and lives in San Francisco with his wife, documentary-filmmaker Charene Zalis.