Gerald R. Ford Foundation grants journalism prizes

May 17, 2001
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ANN ARBOR—Two correspondents for the Washington Post have won prizes from the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. The $5,000 awards recognize journalists whose high standards for accuracy and substance help foster a better public understanding of national defense issues and the presidency.

Dana Priest, a Pentagon correspondent for the Post, won the fourteenth Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the National Defense.

Priest’s winning series, “The Proconsuls,” which ran in the Post last September, revealed the inner working, political influence and evolution of the four-star regional Commanders-in-Chiefs (CINCs). The project raised questions about an unexplored but profound shift in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy during the Clinton administration. It showed how, with no public debate, the military assumed greater responsibility in forging foreign policy and the CINCs carrying it out in the world’s most remote corners.

John Harris is the recipient of the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency. In awarding the Ford Prize to Harris, the judges said that he took account of the nature and character of President Clinton, related that personality to policies and actions and decisions, and reached well beneath the surface to reveal insights about how this last president of the 20th century projected his power and provided his leadership.

By resourcefulness in reporting and clarity in writing, Harris detailed President Clinton’s masterful use of modern polling techniques and analysis to advance his objectives, document his proven skills in campaign tactics and strategy, revealed the brilliant facets and sometimes inexplicable flaws of personality and intellect that made this president one of the most admired and at the same time one of the most controversial in modern history.

President Ford will present both awards at a National Press Club luncheon on June 4.

The Gerald R. Ford Foundation is a private, non-profit, non-partisan corporation whose programs are supported entirely by contributions and bequests in an effort to honor President Ford’s sustained commitment to public service.


 

Washington PostDana PriestJohn HarrisNational Press Club