A New Jersey newspaper will receive the first $25,000 Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize for Excellence in Investigative Reporting, awarded by Ohio University's College of Communication, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Scripps Howard Foundation.
The winning entry, Profiting from Public Service
was a joint investigation by seven New Jersey newspapers of the state's legislative branch that caught New Jersey lawmakers making secret deals and exploiting their power to give money to employers, family and friends.
Asbury Park Press executive editor William Skip Hidlay said he and his staff are honored and humbled to win the first Farfel Prize. To be the inaugural winner is truly one of the high points of our careers he said.
Six other New Jersey newspapers joined the Press in the investigation, said Paul D'Ambrosio, investigations editor of the Press who organized and directed the series. But the knowledge and fire power came from the Asbury Park Press Hidlay said.
Dru Riley Evarts, an Ohio University journalism professor who was one of seven judges of the 43 Farfel entries, said the Press's record searching made its series stand out. What they were finding took a lot of intricate work. It didn't just fall into their laps
she said.
Twelve reporters and six editors spent five months writing the series, analyzing tens of thousands of records.
As part of the prize's stipulation, Hidlay and D'Ambrosio will visit OU April 26 to explain the series and the changes it brought about in New Jersey's legislative branch, and then they will detail their investigation process. I think investigative reporting is one of the most important types of journalism that a newspaper can do. I hope that our visit to Ohio University will inspire new investigative journalists who will continue to do this important work
Hidlay said.
In January, a $500,000 gift from Ursula and Gilbert Farfel established the Farfel Prize to recognize and to express their appreciation for the nation's best investigative journalism.
Kathy Krendl, Dean of the College of Communications, said the award will bring OU national visibility. She said it is one of the top awards in the field.
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Brianna Horan
