Pressbox

May 22, 2006
For Immediate Release                                                          
Contact: Amanda Cooper 212-332-9376

Sidney Hillman Foundation Announces 2006 Journalism Awards for Exemplary Reporting on Social Justice Issues Awards Ceremony May 23rd in New York City

NEW YORK, May 22 – The Hillman Foundation today announced the winners of the 2005 Sidney Hillman Awards.  Each year, prizes are awarded in the categories of book, magazine, newspaper, photojournalism and broadcast. For the first time this year the Foundation includes an award to recognize the important activist journalism that is being done online, in the form of a “blog”.  Awards will be presented in a ceremony in New York City on the evening of May 23.

Sidney Hillman, the founder and president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (a predecessor union of UNITE HERE) is remembered as one of the greatest labor leaders in U.S. history. His tireless efforts to bring dignity and respect to working people left a lasting legacy for the American public. An influential adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hillman was instrumental in shaping the New Deal and landmark labor legislation protecting workers’ rights and living standards.

The Sidney Hillman Awards are unique because they recognize—and encourage—a sense of social responsibility among journalists, writers and public figures, especially at a time when news is increasingly entertainment and business driven. Over the years, a distinguished roster of award winners have been recognized for courageously exploring topics that make a real difference in people’s lives. Sometimes their work deals with issues that are difficult, unpopular or unusual, but they are stories that need to be told, and are told too rarely. Many past winners have been significant figures in their field. Others have been young journalists or publications that had yet to receive their due.

The distinguished panel that reviewed this years submissions includes Hendrik Hertzberg, Senior Editor, The New Yorker; Harold Meyerson, Editor at Large, The American Prospect; Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor, The Nation; Susan Meiselas, photographer and author; and Sheryl WuDunn, International Business Editor, The New York Times.

For more information, to interview award winners or judges, or other inquiries about the Foundation, please contact Amanda Cooper at 212-332-9376, or visit www.hillmanfoundation.org.