FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/25/14

Contacts:
Chad Hosier, SPJ Awards Coordinator, (317) 920-4791, chosier@spj.org
Taylor Carlier, SPJ Communications Coordinator, (317) 920-4785, tcarlier@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman and Ted Bridis have received the Ethics in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for the ethical manner in which the threesome came upon, waited out and forged ahead with the publishing of a crucial story involving a member of the CIA.

The Ethics in Journalism Award honors journalists or news organizations that perform in an outstanding ethical manner demonstrating the ideals of the SPJ Code of Ethics.

Apuzzo, Goldman and Bridis accomplished this through an in-depth investigation of a missing American who disappeared in 2007 while working for the CIA – something unknown to the public. It was later revealed that the CIA had lied about its involvement in this particular matter to Congress, the FBI and the White House, then paid off the missing person’s family to keep the truth from becoming public.

Goldman and Apuzzo took this information and ran with it, but when they approached U.S. government officials, were warned to hold off on publishing the story because of the possibility that it would put the life of the missing person in greater danger or impede progress on the case. So, they waited until late in 2013, when the excuses to wait didn’t add up anymore and the public’s right to know ruled out keeping the story from being published.

According to Kathleen Carroll, Associated Press senior vice president and executive editor, this threesome is being honored for their efforts “for the discovery of a significant and deeply buried story and skill in telling it, restraint when there was good reason not to publish and courage to do so when that reason disappeared.”

Previous Ethics in Journalism Award winners have included the likes of David Boardman of The Seattle Times, Karen Gadbois of The Lens (New Orleans) and Bill Shory of WBIR-TV, just to name a few.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

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