The Maria Moors Cabot Prize
2008 Winners

Lea sobre los ganadores en español.

The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism announced the 2008 winners of the Maria Moors Cabot Prize for outstanding reporting on Latin America and the Caribbean. Celebrating its 70th anniversary as the oldest international award in journalism, the Cabot Prize honors journalists who have covered the Western Hemisphere and, through their reporting and editorial work, have furthered inter-American understanding.

Cabot Prizes 70th Anniversary Events

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Cabot Prizes, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism held two days of activities leading up to a gala dinner Thursday, Oct. 16 at Columbia's Low Library where four journalists from Mexico, Argentina and the United States received gold medals for their coverage of the Americas. The anniversary activities included:

"Scared Silent: Mexico's Journalists Under Attack From Drug Mafias," a conference sponsored by the Knight Foundation at the Journalism School. Panels consisted of journalists, academics and government officials from Mexico and the United States.

"Covering Societies Under Threat," a panel discussion with the four winners in the Lecture Hall of the Journalism School, co-sponsored by the Institute of Latin American Studies at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia.

During their stay in New York, the 2008 Cabot medalists also met with foreign editors at The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

2008 Award Winners

The 2008 gold medalists are: Carmen Aristegui, anchor, CNN en Español and Reforma newspaper (Mexico); Michael Smith, senior writer, Bloomberg Markets magazine; Sam Quinones, general assignment reporter, Los Angeles Times; and Gustavo Sierra, international news desk editor, Clarín newspaper (Argentina).

Watch this video about the Cabot Board's selection process.
How were this year's winners chosen?

Carmen Aristegui Flores

Anchor for CNN en Español and columnist for Reforma newspaper (Mexico)
Carmen Aristegui gives voice to Mexicans who would otherwise not be heard or seen because they criticize the country's most powerful institutions. The heat generated by her morning talk show on W Radio, "Hoy por Hoy," led to Aristegui’s forced departure. Aristegui continues to explain, celebrate, and expose what is great and wrong in Mexico — and in the hemisphere — on her CNN en Español show, “Aristegui,” and in her column in the newspaper Reforma. Her courage serves as an example for journalists, especially women, fighting to make their voices heard.
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Michael Smith

Senior writer for Bloomberg Markets magazine
Michael Smith produces unique, complex and vividly written stories that illuminate the effects of globalization, never forgetting the people left behind in the wake of the region’s current economic boom. By shining a light on some of the darkest corners of corporate practices in Latin America, Smith and his colleagues have forced companies to change their ways and in the process improved the lives of some of Latin America's poorest people.
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Sam Quinones

General assignment reporter for Los Angeles Times
Sam Quinones writes with an exceptional eye for cultural and personal details that delves into the humanity and sociology of his subjects, the places they live and their experiences. Quinones' original, empathetic and patiently crafted, on-the-ground reporting has undoubtedly contributed to better understanding of life in Mexico and the special challenges of crime, drugs, poverty and racial integration faced by underprivileged Latino communities in the U.S.
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Gustavo Sierra

International news editor for Clarín newspaper (Argentina)
Gustavo Sierra has covered the hemisphere for 30 years in a career notable for its in-depth reporting, thorough investigation, novelty and energetic enterprise. A foreign correspondent covering the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sierra sent back in-depth print and broadcast stories that ultimately came together as a book. He has mastered both print and broadcast, having worked as a correspondent for Telenoticias, Univision, NBC and channel América24, among others.
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About the Maria Moors Cabot Prize

The prizes, the oldest international prizes in journalism, are awarded by the trustees of the University on the recommendation of the dean of the Journalism School. A Cabot Prize Board of journalists and educators concerned with hemisphere affairs assists the dean in selecting the winners. Nominations are sought from news organizations and individuals throughout Latin and North America. The Cabot Prizes are presented each year by the president of the University in formal ceremonies in the Rotunda of Low Memorial Library on the University’s main campus in New York City. With this year’s awards, 257 Cabot Prizes and 56 special citations have been awarded to journalists from more than 30 countries in the Americas.

The Cabot Prizes are awarded each fall to three or four journalists in the Western Hemisphere who, through their sustained and distinguished body of work, have contributed to Inter-American understanding. Occasionally the award is given to an organization that has made a similar contribution.

We invite you to submit nominations for the Maria Moors Cabot Prizes.