AJR Wins Two National Press Club Awards   

Online Exclusive » Former Managing Editor Rachel Smolkin triumphs in the body of work and individual article categories for her pieces in AJR.

The National Press Club awarded two Arthur Rowse Awards for Press Criticism to former AJR Managing Editor Rachel Smolkin for her outstanding work in the magazine.

Smolkin won the Rowse Award for body of work in the print category for the third time in five years.

She also won for best individual story in the print category for the second year in a row. This year she triumphed with "Justice Delayed: The Media's Duke Lacrosse Debacle," her in-depth examination of how much of the media jettisoned caution and the presumption of innocence in their coverage of an alleged rape by Duke University student athletes in AJR's August/September 2007 issue.

"This is great news," said AJR Editor and Senior Vice President Rem Rieder. "What a triumph for Rach to sweep the print categories. It's a fitting tribute to a wonderful journalist."

Named after the retired U.S. News & World Report journalist, the Arthur Rowse Awards for Press Criticism honor the year's best examinations of the media industry. The awards will be presented at a National Press Club dinner on July 14. The Washington-based group, with 3,700 members who work in journalism and communications, selected the winners from 203 entries in 27 categories.

Smolkin was also a finalist for Syracuse University's Mirror Award for Best Single Article this year and for Best Profile last year. AJR was a finalist this year for the Mirror Award for Overall Excellence, which it claimed in 2007.

American Journalism Review is a national magazine that covers all aspects of print, television and online media. The magazine, which is published six times a year, examines how the media cover specific stories and broader coverage trends.