Berger News 2009

Updates on Berger prize winners

Bob Herbert, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times who received the Berger Award in 1989, received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin at its commencement exercises this spring.

In conferring the honorary degree, President Jill Beck praised Herbert for stellar accomplishments in print and broadcast journalism over a lengthy career.

In a reference to Herbert’s column's 15-year run in the Times: ”In America,” the citation reads in part "...It brings politics, urban affairs, and social trends into the spotlight. Your ability to tell stories that give ordinary people hope and a voice has earned you legions of loyal readers from coast to coast... (You) have raised your voice in unison with those opposed to the invasion of Iraq; and are often first to take a bold stance on other important national issues..."

Nina Bernstein, a reporter for The New York Times, received the 2009 Sydney Hillman award for print reporting for her Times’ series exposing the horrific abuses of detainees held in the nation's immigration detention system. She was a 1994 Berger Award recipient.

Watch the award presentation

The 2006 Berger winner, Andrea Gurwitt was a features reporter for The HeraldNews before switching to The Record, a daily newspaper in northern New Jersey. She is now an editorial writer for this paper, which has a daily circulation of slightly over 195,000.