24. 06. 2008

U.S. BLOG "TALKING POINTS MEMO" WINS FREE MEDIA PIONEER AWARD

USA, June 24th, 2008 (IFEX) - The New York-based political blog "Talking Points Memo" has won the 2008 Free Media Pioneer award of the International Press Institute (IPI). Managing editor David Kurtz received the prize at an award ceremony on 17 June during IPI's world congress in Belgrade, Serbia.

Created and run by U.S. journalist Joshua Micah Marshall, www.talkingpointsmemo.com is the flagship blog of the TPM Media network. Started in November 2000 during the U.S. election recount in Florida,"Talking Points Memo" was instrumental in the reporting that led to U.S. Senator Trent Lott's resignation as Senate Minority Leader in 2002.

In 2005, TPM launched "TPMCafe", featuring blogs about a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues. "TPMmuckracker", launched in 2006,investigates political corruption and exposed the firing of eight U.S. attorneys by President George W. Bush's administration. As a result, several high-level government officials resigned, followed in 2007 by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
The annual IPI Free Media Pioneer Award was established in 1996 to honour organisations that have fought for freer and more independent media in their country or region. The award is co-sponsored by the U.S.-basedFreedom Forum, a foundation dedicated to free press and free speech.

For more information, visit the IPI website: http://tinyurl.com/6bn4vh