NEW YORK CIVIC HONORS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS

As our media becomes increasingly owned by big corporations, it's good to see that local investigative reporters are being awarded by organizations promoting investigative journalism. Kudos to New York Civic and the reporters honored by them.

Gregory
********

NEW YORK CIVIC HONORS
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS
The Capitol’s Laura Nahmias Receives New York Civic’s Mary Perot Nichols Award;
Brooklyn Paper’s Aaron Short is Runner-Up

The good government group New York Civic announced the winners of its inaugural investigative journalism fellowships today, selecting Laura Nahmias, a reporter for The Capitol and City Hall, as the first recipient of its Mary Perot Nichols Award.

Nahmias, who was chosen from dozens of applicants, won for her article “Boyland’s Magic Trick” in the September 26th, 2011, issue of the Capitol, which uncovered several instances where Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. claimed reimbursements for working in Albany, when in fact, as Nahmias proved, he was nowhere near the state capital at the time.

As the recipient of the Mary Perot Nichols Award, which is named in honor of the late muckraking Village Voice columnist and WNYC president in the Koch administration, Nahmias will receive $2,000 at a ceremony to be held later this month. Aaron Short, a staff reporter for The Brooklyn Paper, will also be honored with a $1,000 prize for his article titled “This is supposed to be a senior center. It’s actually Vito Lopez’s clubhouse”, which appeared in The Brooklyn Paper and The New York Post on October 30th, 2010, and is part of Short’s ongoing investigation into the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council nonprofit organization and its founder, Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

“In this age of media consolidation, it is more important than ever that we vigorously support and encourage investigative journalism,” said Henry J. Stern, founder and president of New York Civic. “Laura Nahmias and Aaron Short uphold the great tradition of the media acting as watchdogs to keep politicians honest and inform the public when they are not. New York Civic is proud to recognize these reporters’ outstanding work.”

Laura Nahmias, 27, has been a staff reporter for City Hall and The Capitol since July 2010. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Nahmias began her career covering local government for The Island Packet, a community newspaper in Beaufort County, South Carolina. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Nahmias’s writings have covered a broad array of subjects, ranging from politics and history to pop music, golf, and alligators.

Aaron Short, 30, has been a staff reporter for the Community Newspaper Group-owned Brooklyn Paper, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, since November 2007. Originally from Storrs, Connecticut, Short graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, before receiving his Masters in American History from Brown University. As well as writing for The Brooklyn Paper, he has contributed articles to the New York Post, Pennsylvania Gazette, and BushwickBK blog.

In addition to the Mary Perot Nichols Investigative Journalism Award for New York State Reporters and Bloggers, New York Civic had also intended to present the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Investigative Journalism Award for New York State Undergraduate Students and Murray Kempton Investigative Journalism Award for New York State Graduate Students, however, after reviewing all of the student entries, New York Civic determined that there were not any submissions worthy of the prizes. As a result, New York Civic will take the $3,000 allocated for student prizes and apply it to next year’s awards.

“The dearth of quality submissions by students for New York Civic’s investigative journalism fellowships is alarming to those concerned for the future of substantive reporting in our state,” said Stern. “We hope that our decision not to award these fellowships will help alert journalism professors across New York State to the importance of teaching the craft of investigative reporting to their students.”

Founded in 2002, New York Civic is a nonprofit, nonpartisan good government group that aims to advance political reform in the city and state of New York through education, community outreach, social networking, and grassroots activism. For more information about New York Civic, go to www.nycivic.org.

March from City Hall to Liberty Plaza Scheduled for Today at 4:30pm

The MoveOn organization sent the following e-mail about the "March from City Hall to Liberty Plaza" today at 4:30 p.m. Please see the e-mail sent by their organizers related to today’s event. As the demonstration progresses, additional more "main stream" supporters including unions are beginning to show their solidarity by participating in the demonstrations. It's good to see that people have finally taking action to protect the American Dream.

Gregory
******

They're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. And it's time to stand with them.

For more than two weeks, a committed group of young people, unemployed folks, and union members have occupied Wall Street in a rolling 24-hours-a-day protest of the corporate takeover of our democracy.

They're acting in the best traditions of nonviolent resistance and call themselves "the other 99%," because they represent all of us left behind by the coddling of the wealthiest 1% in our society. Their actions are inspiring similar protests in cities across the country against big banks and corporate greed—from Boston to San Francisco and Atlanta to Chicago.1

These are the moments that the American Dream Movement was built to uplift, which we can do right here in New York, by showing the other 99% that we share their frustration, that we stand with them—that we are them too.

This Wednesday, join thousands from unions, community groups, and the American Dream Movement in a march from City Hall to Wall Street in solidarity with the other 99% protesters.

When: Wednesday, October 5, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Foley Square (at Duane St and Centre St outside 26 Federal Plaza), marching to Zuccotti Park in Liberty Plaza

Washington knows how to help everyday Americans suffering through this economic crisis. They're just choosing to coddle the wealthy and corporations instead—including the very people on Wall Street who caused the crisis.

Change will only happen when Washington gets the message that we're fed up with their complicity with corporate greed. Change will only happen when 1,000 committed people in a public square are joined by 10,000 more on a clear October day, then hundreds of thousands more across the country.

The other 99% protesters represent all of us who are being left behind: union workers, public servants, the poor, the unemployed, seniors, the disabled, women, graduates, and children. They represent the young promise of the American Dream Movement. On Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., we have our chance to stand with them.

Join Wednesday's solidarity march from City Hall to Wall Street at 4:30 p.m.
Dr. King said that "he who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." Now's the time to stand up, speak out, and be heard.

Thanks for all you do,
–Daniel, Joan, Laura, Anna, and the rest of the team

NYC COUNCIL MEMBER FERNANDO CABRERA TO DELIVER PETITIONS TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG CONCERNING PRAYER AT 9/11 10TH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY

Since my last post about the controversy surrounding Mayor Bloomberg’s decision not to include prayer at this years September 11th ceremony, NYC Councilman Fernando Cabrera has secured over 60,000 signatures advocating for prayer to be reinstated. He will present the signatures tomorrow at the steps of City Hall.

I have always advocated for the open expression of faith on the Boogiedowner. It's part of who we are and a powerful force in uplifting mankind. We already tried social experiments in "god less" societies. Is the former Soviet Union our new model?

I commend Councilman Cabrera for his steadfastness in attempting to promote prayer on September 11th and other occasions. I am sure we can find text agreeable to all religious groups. Please do give us your opinion on the topic and please do review the press release sent by his office.

Gregory
*********

WHO: NYC Council Member Fernando Cabrera, Community Leaders, and Clergy Members
WHAT: Councilman Cabrera, along with representatives of the faith community, will call on the Mayor to reconsider his position to not allow prayer at this year’s 9/11 Ceremony

WHEN: Thursday, September 8th 12:00pm
WHERE: City Hall Steps

****************************************************************
“During 9/11, the faith community served as pillars for many New Yorker’s coping with the tragedy. As a pastor during the tumultuous aftermath, I know first hand that it was a time where people were searching for meaning and things bigger than themselves,” said Councilman Cabrera. “People’s Faith helped fill this void and continue to serve as spiritual and emotional support.”

Councilman Cabrera has spoken nationally on FOX, CNN, the Associated Press, and various nationally syndicated radio stations in support of prayer inclusion during the 9/11 Ceremony. Many groups have joined the efforts, adding over 60,000 names to the petitions to be delivered to the Mayor.

“While many of the voices in this effort have divergent views on a wide-range of issues, I believe that we can put our differences aside to call for the uniting force of prayer,” said Councilman Cabrera. “I sincerely hope that the Mayor will allow prayer in this year’s ceremony as we remember and honor the victims of a tragedy that is still being felt today.”

###