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Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing

Who owns the past?
Learning from our ancestors and finding common ground

Since 2005, Pulliam Editorial Fellow Kate Riley has studied the controversy surrounding the discovery of 9,300 year old human bones that have come to be called Kennewick Man. The bones have become the center of conflict among scientists, public officials and Native American tribal leaders.

Riley believed the situation offered an opportunity to find common ground, to work collaboratively, and to learn from each other about the rich cultural heritage of America.
Riley’s job as an editorial writer for The Seattle Times put her in a position to impact the public response to this often bitter, angry dispute.

In 2005, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation awarded Riley the Eugene C. Pulliam Editorial Writing Fellowship.

Read her work below:

— “Anthropology: The Great Divide,” commentary published by The Seattle Times on Oct. 7, 2007
— “Two words go too far in ancestral-remains law,” editorial published by The Seattle Times on Oct. 4, 2007
— “Sifting through a place where progress and past collide,” published by The Seattle Times on Dec. 25, 2006
— “Out of Africa and Beyond,” published in The Seattle Times on Nov. 27, 2006
— “"Who owns the past?,” published in The Seattle Times on Aug. 27, 2006
— “Bones of contention - and learning,” published in The Seattle Times on March 6, 2006
— “Kennewick Man, meet your distant cousins,” published in The Seattle Times on Nov. 7, 2005: Examines the conflict within science about who were the first Americans. Increasingly, it is believed that people came earlier than previously thought and by boat.

The Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship was first offered in 1977. It is funded by a grant from Mrs. Eugene C. Pulliam, honoring the memory of her husband, one of the original members of the Society and former publisher of The Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis News, The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette.

Founded in 1961, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that those who carry on the tradition of a free press are prepared for the challenge. Its goal is to support the educational programs of the Society of Professional Journalists and to serve the professional needs of journalists and students pursuing careers in journalism.