AP Online
03-23-2000
AP Awarded for No Gun Ri Story
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Associated Press on Thursday won the 1999 SAIS-Novartis International Journalism award for its efforts to uncover the truth about Korean civilians killed by American troops at the start of the Korean War.
The story of No Gun Ri, where U.S. soldiers gunned down hundreds of helpless South Korean civilians, had never been reported. The award is shared by AP Special Correspondent Charles J. Hanley, reporters Martha Mendoza and Sang-hun Choe, and researcher Randy Herschaft.
``Their work has had a major impact,'' said Paul Wolfowitz, dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University. ``The AP reports have also added new fuel to the debate over the nature of modern warfare and war crimes.''
The AP journalists and researcher will be honored on April 26 in Washington, D.C. In addition to the award, the winners will also receive a $15,000 prize.
The first runner-ups in the international news competition are Nate Thayer and Nic Dunlop of Far Eastern Economic Review for their work tracking down the chief executioner of the Khmer Rouge regime. The journalists found him living a new life as a born-again Christian aid worker in Cambodia and obtained a detailed confession of his crimes.
Marla A. Ressa, Jakarta bureau chief for CNN International, placed third in the competition for her eyewitness video reports on the conflicts in East Timor.
The award program is funded by a grant from the Swiss health care corporation Novartis.
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