In 1948, George W. Polk, an American journalist and CBS correspondent, was slain while on assignment in Greece. At the time, Polk was covering the country’s tumultuous civil war. It was in Greece that Polk’s "status as a symbol of journalistic integrity" was solidified by his critical reporting on both of the warring parties – the right-leaning Greek government and the Communists.
In 1949, in commemoration of Polk’s death, Long Island University unveiled the George Polk Award for outstanding radio and television journalism. The Polk Award was intended to compliment the Pulitzer Prize – which honours outstanding print journalism in newspaper publications.
Since this time, the Polk prize has grown to represent one of the highest honours in American journalism. One does not have to look beyond the likes of past Polk prize winners - Christiane Amanpour, Walter Cronkite, and Carl Bernstein, to grasp the quality of journalism that this award honours.
This February, decades after Polk’s death, the 2009 award winners were announced. Interestingly, among the numerous honours, the George Polk Award for Videography was given to a work produced anonymously.
The feat sent shockwaves through the journalistic community. In fact, one critic wrote, ““Anonymous” wins a Polk Award? What’s going on here?”
The answer is citizen journalism.
Following the disputed re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009, dissenters took to the streets of Tehran. In the midst of one protest, 26-year-old Neda Agha-Soltan was shot dead. Reportedly, Agha-Soltan was targeted by a pro-government militant.
Thanks to the quick thinking of one bystander, the entire incident was captured on a cell phone. In the Polk prize-winning clip, Agha-Soltan lays dying on the street as fellow protestors rush to her aid.
(WARNING: The video does contain graphic content).
Neda Agha Soltan Shot in Iran
Uploaded by ART1988. - News videos from around the world.
In the peak of last summer’s digital activism movement, the video was uploaded to the Internet and went viral as it was shared across cyberspace. Soon after, this work of a citizen journalist was picked up by traditional mainstream media institutions across the world - who were barred from entering the country by the Iranian government.
The overwhelming international exposure granted Iran's pro-democratic Green Movement the attention of the world community. As well, the video succeeded in elevating the status of citizen journalists amongst skeptics.
However, there will always be critics. In this case, they are traditionalists who believe that the individuals who participate in this type of reporting are actually “bystanders — not journalists. Just good bystanders.”
However, upon recognition of the intensity and resonance of the video, John Darnton, the new Curator of the Polk Awards, defended his choice. Darnton said, “Isn’t that the definition of news? Something that gets people talking and thinking and reveals something?”
Interestingly, this debate comes at a time when the professional status of journalists is being called into question by advocates of citizen–generated media.
Despite the contention, this Polk Award is an undeniable win for citizen journalists everywhere. The prize, founded on the principle of journalistic integrity, brings credibility to the citizen media movement and grants it official recognition as a legitimate journalistic force.
