Craig R. McCoy wins 2010 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard will present the 2010 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence to Craig R. McCoy, an investigative reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

For almost three decades, McCoy has exposed injustice and corruption in Philadelphia through his probing and meticulous investigative work. McCoy most recently headed a team that uncovered entrenched problems in Philadelphia’s criminal justice system, including abysmal conviction rates, rampant witness fear, and a massive number of fugitives.

Using statistical analysis, the paper’s investigation and resulting series, “Justice: Delayed, Dismissed, Denied,” showed that defendants charged with violent crimes were escaping conviction in nearly two-thirds of cases. The reporting has triggered major reforms, including new state Supreme Court judicial rules, two investigations, federal and state hearings, and new legislation. McCoy joined staff writers Nancy Phillips, Dylan Purcell, John Sullivan, and Emilie Lounsberry in this project. In previous years, McCoy was part of larger teams that twice were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.

Established in 2008, the Stone Medal rewards journalistic independence and honors the life of investigative journalist I.F. Stone. The award is administered by the Nieman Foundation and its Nieman Watchdog Project and is presented annually to a journalist whose work captures the spirit of independence, integrity, and courage that characterized I.F. Stone’s Weekly, published 1953-1971.

McCoy will receive the award during a ceremony at Boston University’s College of Communication on Oct. 5. To read the full announcement.