Release: The Iowa Gallup Award
for Excellent Journalism Using Polls

FOR RELEASE: June 14, 2007

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication and The Gallup Organization have named The Washington Post the recipient of their 2006 annual award recognizing excellent journalism using polls.

The award-winning, multi-part series, "Being a Black Man,” was printed beginning in June 2006 based on a poll conducted by The Washington Post with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University.
“We were very pleased with the increased number of award submissions this year and their continued outstanding level of achievement," said Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO of The Gallup Organization.  "The Washington Post entry tackled the important issue of race in America and showed how insightful polls can contribute to informed debate on vital issues and make a difference in our world.” 

The Iowa Gallup Award is a joint endeavor to honor George H. Gallup, an Iowa native who earned three degrees from the UI, was an instructor with the School of Journalism, and founded the Quill and Scroll, an international honorary society for high school journalists. Quill and Scroll, with 14,270 chapters, has kept its ties with the university and has offices in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The award recognizes the importance of the news media's use of polls in understanding public opinion and shaping discourse on social and political issues. Journalists' accurate, creative, and intelligent analysis of polling data can add depth and dimension to their reporting, as well as enhance the quality of public debate. The award is designed to reward news media stories that feature such analysis and thus promote the best use and presentation of polls and data in journalism and media.

Marc Armstrong, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, thanked the judges who reviewed the entries.  "A panel of judges with expertise in polls, journalism and academia took on the task of rating and scoring the stories on the basis of creativity, writing style, and impact," he said.  “We appreciate their involvement.”

As the recipient of the Iowa Gallup Award, The Washington Post will receive a $2,500 stipend, a specially made medallion, and be honored at a presentation planned for this fall at the Gallup World Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The 2005 Inaugural Iowa Gallup Award winner was ABC News for a two-part broadcast series titled “Iraq and Afghanistan:  Where Things Stand.”

Award-winning stories must be accurate in analyzing and interpreting data, have clarity of presentation, and have implications for public discourse.  Complete details of the judging criteria, including the requirements, and an entry form can be found at the award web site: http://www.uiowa.edu/jmc/GallupAward.  Deadline for 2007 entries will be announced in January.

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For more information, contact:
Kim Merchant
The University of Iowa
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
E300 Adler Journalism Building
Iowa City, IA 52242
kimberly-merchant@uiowa.edu