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The Record has won the prestigious IRE Medal for its series "Toxic Legacy," which documented the long-term effects of the Ford Motor Co.'s dumping of toxic sludge into a vast area of low-income residents in North Jersey.
The series was hailed as a "landmark work" by the judges for Investigative Reporters and Editors, based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
The IRE Medal is the organization's highest honor.
"This work stood out not only for its exhaustive reporting and clear writing, but for its riveting multimedia presentation, which set a standard to which larger publications and broadcast outlets should aspire," the judges said of "Toxic Legacy."
The series recounted how, 25 years after Ford closed its massive assembly plant in Mahwah, toxic waste from the plant continues to pollute areas of North Jersey, resulting in plagues of asthma, rashes and elevated cancer rates.
The Record's entry was in the medium newspaper category, those with circulations of 100,000 to 250,000.
"Today marks a high point at this newspaper," said Frank Scandale, the editor of The Record.
"The award speaks for itself. I want to thank each and every member of the team, and each and every member of the staff who supported the team through many months of reporting and editing," Scandale added. "Today, your hard work on behalf of the residents of New Jersey and New York was properly recognized."
The other top prize went to reporters at WJW in Cleveland, who exposed millions of dollars in waste, gross mismanagement and a coverup in the Cleveland Municipal School District involving bus drivers who were paid millions of dollars to spend their days playing billiards.
WJW's reports led to the resignation of the district's CEO and to major reforms.
The reporters who worked on The Record series were Jan Barry, Barbara Williams, Tom Troncone, Mary Jo Layton, Alex Nussbaum and Lindy Washburn; the photographer was Thomas E. Franklin.
Tim Nostrand was the project leader, and Debra Lynn Vial the editor for the series.
The Record's series was among 563 IRE entries in 2005.
The awards will be presented June 17 at the 2006 IRE Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
The conference, scheduled for June 15-18 at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel, will feature many of the winners speaking about the techniques, methods and resources they used to develop their stories.
E-mail: bautista@northjersey.com
(C) 2006 The Record, Bergen County, NJ. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
