Awards

Polk Awards Honor Journalists’ Work

New York Times – February 22, 2005
Reporters who exposed the torture of Iraqi prisoners, perils on America’s railways and inadequate care in veterans’ hospitals, and others who covered the war in Iraq and upheavals in Haiti, were among the winners of 13 George Polk Awards for 2004 announced yesterday by Long Island University.

Three reporters for The New York Times, two for The Associated Press and representatives of five other newspapers, two broadcasters and a magazine were cited for distinguished journalism in the tradition of George W. Polk, a CBS correspondent killed in 1948 covering the civil war in Greece…

…Paisley Dodds of The Associated Press was cited for foreign reporting “at great personal risk” for her dispatches from Haiti on the overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, including roles played by the United States and the Dominican Republic, and on floods that later devastated the country…. Read full article >>

APME recognizes outstanding work by AP staff

July 27, 2005
NEW YORK (AP) — Heart-rending news accounts and photographs that helped bring the world’s attention to the horrors of the Asian tsunami are being honored by the Associated Press Managing Editors association in its annual awards to AP staff…

…Paisley Dodds, then-AP’s Caribbean news editor and now London bureau chief, won the enterprise reporting award for exclusive stories about controversial practices at the secretive U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba…. Read full article >>

UF Freedom of Information Center honors AP writer

December 21, 2006
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s Brechner Center for Freedom of Information Center recently honored an Associated Press series on the treatment and prosecution of Guantanamo Bay detainees. The Paisley Dodds expose revealed psychological pressures and harsh conditions for many of the more than 500 terrorist suspects.

“This series demonstrates the importance of a vigilant media and its role as the public’s watchdog in monitoring and revealing government activities,” said Sandra Chance, the executive director of the center, which is based in UF’s College of Journalism and Communications.

The U.S. government released to the AP nearly 3,000 pages of documents under a Freedom of Information lawsuit. The documents – with names and city, village and country names redacted – account for nearly 100 testimonies at secretive tribunal proceedings where detainees complained there was no evidence against them and alleged abuse at the prison camp. The series also found that detainees were coerced into confessions and were subjected to female interrogators using sexual tactics to weaken Muslim detainees… Read full article >>

Associated Press Writer Named 2006 Brechner Award Winner

November 2006
GAINESVILLE , FLA. – A groundbreaking, detailed series by The Associated Press that examined the treatment and prosecution of detainees at Guantanamo Bay was named the winner of the 2006 Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information Award, according to Sandra F. Chance, executive director of the Brechner Center. “Guantanamo Exposed” was written by Associated Press writer Paisley Dodds, who now serves as the bureau chief in London. Dodds has covered Guantanamo Bay since the U.S. opened the detainee camp in 2002… Read full article >>

National Headliner Awards

News Beat Coverage or Continuing Story – Second Place
Associated Press, London Bureau
Paisley Dodds
“Guantanamo Exposed”
Read more >>

Playboy Foundation Announces Winners of 2006 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards

PR Newswire – May 11, 2006
The Playboy Foundation today recognized winners of the 2006 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards during a luncheon presentation at New York’s Cipriani 23rd Street. Eight individuals were honored for their personal achievements in defending the First Amendment, and each received a $5000 honorarium and a specially designed crystal plaque commemorating his or her individual achievements. Margaret Carlson, Washington editor of The Week magazine and columnist for Bloomberg News, served as master of ceremonies.

Established in 1979 by Playboy Enterprises, Inc.’s (NYSE: PLA) now-Chairman and CEO Christie Hefner, the awards program honors individuals who have made significant contributions to protect and enhance First Amendment rights of Americans.

Since its inception, more than 100 individuals including high school students, lawyers, journalists and educators have been honored with a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award. The awards are given in areas including print and broadcast journalism, education, book publishing, arts and entertainment, government and law.

“I am delighted to add eight more names to the impressive roster of Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award winners,” said Hefner. “A principal guarantee of freedom is the First Amendment. Now, more than ever, it is important that we honor the men and women who are on the front lines protecting that freedom.”

The 2006 winners are: Paisley Dodds (Print Journalism): An Associated Press reporter who reported on the activities at the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and under the Freedom of Information Act, sued for the release of thousands of pages of tribunal transcripts, which revealed numerous complaints about prisoner abuse…. Read entire article >>