Three NYC Ethnic and Community Press Journalists Win the First Annual Justice and Community Reporting Award

November 18, 2008

NEW YORK—(U.S. ASIAN WIRE)— The John Jay College Center on Media, Crime and Justice and the New York Community Media Alliance announced today the establishment of the Justice and Community Reporting Award to honor the best independent media reporting on selected criminal justice issues in the New York region.

For this year’s award, journalists were asked to submit investigative or feature work relating to criminal justice issues affecting New York’s multi-ethnic immigrant
community. The work of all three journalists grew out of a special conference on immigration issues and crime held in June, 2008 at John Jay College. They were among 24 Reporting Fellows chosen from around the country to participate in the conference.

2008 Awardees:

Ewa Kern Jedrychowska, of Nowy Dziennik, won for her article “Immigration Fraud Victims,” which brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of undocumented immigrants to ruthless legal predators who promise a quick fix of their legal status.

Ali Winston, of City Limits Weekly, won for his article “Marrying for Love? You'll have to Prove it” on the stricter federal rules being applied to newcomers who take the risky (and sometimes shady) route of marriage to U.S. citizens as a way of legalizing their status in the country.

Sujeet Rajan, of The Indian Express, won for his article “Being Sikh in America,” a moving, behind-the-scenes look at the Sikh immigrant community in New York City, and the increasing obstacles Sikhs face to gain acceptance in the larger society.

The awards will be presented during the 7th Annual IPPIES Dinner, NYCMA’s journalism awards ceremony, to be held at Baruch College on Friday, December 5, 2008.

The Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College, run by working journalists, is the nation’s leading practice and research-oriented think tank devoted to encouraging and developing high-quality reporting on criminal justice. The New York Community Media Alliance is the only member-driven nonprofit organization that works to strengthen the immigrant and community press in New York City, recognizing the critical role it plays in organizing, advocating and promoting civic engagement in the ommunities it serves. Support for the awards is provided by the Open Society Institute, McCormick Foundation, Overbrook Foundation, David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation. Award Judges were Juana Ponce de León and Ka Chan of the NYCMA; and Stephen Handelman and Cara Tabachnick of the CMCJ.


Justice and Community Reporting Award Winners’ Bios

Sujeet Rajan is the North America Bureau Chief of The Indian Express North American edition, a weekly English newspaper published in the US and Canada, and a national
English daily newspaper in India. Rajan focuses on Indian Diaspora and International Affairs. He has previously worked for The Times of India in New Delhi and The Sag-Harbor Express in Long Island, New York.

Ali Winston is a freelance journalist based in Upper Manhattan. He has written on video and workplace surveillance, police oversight, and juvenile justice for City Limits. His writing and photographs have also appeared in The Nation, The Indypendent, The Star-Ledger of Newark, and the Jersey Journal. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago, with honors degrees in History and International Studies

Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska covers stories about Polish immigrants in the US for Nowy Dziennik (Polish Daily News) in New York, and reports on issues related to the Polish community for WNYC New York Public Radio. She moved from her native Poland to New York City in 2001, and is currently working on a Master’s in Anthropology at Hunter College (CUNY). She is exploring legal issues affecting undocumented immigrants.

Contact:
Ka Chan
NYCMA
212-279-1442
nycomm@indypressny.org

Stephen Handelman
CMCJ-John Jay College
646-557-4563
shandel@ix.netcom.com