Klein and Sirota Honored with Independent Journalism Award

October 10, 2020News

Receiving praise for “taking on the most powerful forces in society,” independent journalists Naomi Klein and David Sirota are being honored with the seventh annual Izzy Award.

Announced on Tuesday, the award is presented by Ithaca College’s Park Center for Independent Media and recognizes outstanding achievement in independent media and journalism.

Klein, who this past year published the seminal book “This Changes Everything,” is being commended for work that has generated “global discussion and debate” and established important connections between the global warming crisis, social justice, and the growth economy. Klein’s previous works include “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” and “No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies.”

Of her most recent work, the Izzy Award judges wrote: “Few journalists today take on the big issues as comprehensively and fearlessly as Naomi Klein. She combines rigorous reporting, analysis, history and global scope into a package that not only identifies problems, but also illuminates successful activism and solutions. That goes for her groundbreaking book on climate change and for columns that brilliantly connect the dots—such as the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.”

The work of investigative journalist David Sirota has been credited with exposing the rampant corruption the United States’ $3 trillion pension system, and the dirty hands of such high level officials as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Sirota’s numerous exposés on the abuses, first published by PandoDaily and also for the International Business Times, have sparked official investigations as well as the passage of new legislation.

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“With his torrential coverage of the pension story, David Sirota shows a remarkable ability to make financial issues clear—clear enough to prompt action by officials and news outlets from coast to coast,” the judges said.

The Izzy Award is named in honor of the late I.F. “Izzy” Stone, who launched I.F. Stone’s Weekly in 1953 and was known for challenging McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, racial injustice and government deceit.

“Naomi Klein and David Sirota are the journalistic heirs of I.F. Stone, taking on the most powerful forces in society—from Wall Street to Big Oil & Gas—and giving voice to the victims of predatory capitalism,” said Jeff Cohen, director of the Park Center for Independent Media, where the award will be presented in April.

Past award recipients include filmmaker John Carlos Frey; journalists Nick Turse, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Jeremy Scahill, and Glenn Greenwald; columnist Robert Scheer; Democracy Now! host and executive producer Amy Goodman; and outlets Mother Jones, City Limits and the Center for Media and Democracy.