Ithaca College

Journalist Jeremy Scahill will be presented with the second annual Izzy Award for outstanding achievement in independent media during a ceremony at Ithaca College on Monday, April 19. In his acceptance speech, Scahill will discuss his approach to journalism and the importance of independent outlets in examining major issues that corporate media miss. The 7:30 p.m. program in Emerson Suites, Phillips Hall, is free and open to the public.

The Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College created the Izzy Award to recognize independent outlets, journalists or producers for work created/distributed outside of traditional corporate structures. It is named for the legendary muckraking journalist I.F. “Izzy” Stone, who exposed government deceit and corruption while championing civil liberties, racial justice and international diplomacy.

Stone’s elder son, also named Jeremy, praised Scahill as a journalistic descendant, “some kind of grandson,” of his late father. Scahill was selected for the honor based on his relentless work in 2009 reporting on military contractor/mercenary abuses, which helped elevate the issue to front-page mainstream news. His human rights reporting last year appeared in independent outlets such as “The Nation,” “Democracy Now!,” “Alternet,” “The HuffingtonPost” and his own “Rebel Reports” blog. A regular on the Rachel Maddow and Bill Maher television shows, Scahill wrote the best-seller “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.”

Izzy Award winners are chosen by a panel of judges who have expertise in independent media. Last year’s inaugural award was shared by blogger Glenn Greenwald and “Democracy Now!” host/executive producer Amy Goodman.

WEOS will also be broadcasting the lecture.

For more information, visit https://www.ithaca.edu/indy/izzy