The 2002 Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Awards for Excellence in Reporting on Drug and Alcohol Problems
2002 Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Awards Presenters and Speakers:
Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes
William Styron, Author
Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News
John Whitehead, Whitehead Foundation
2002 Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Awards Winners:
Laurence Hammack, The Roanoke Times (Virginia) for “Oxycontin: When a Painkiller Kills”
A three-part series that examines how Oxycontin has both helped and harmed people in the largely rural state of Virginia and the response of the drug’s manufacturer and the legislature to the illegal spread of Oxycontin
(June 2001 – March 2002)
Times Union (Albany, New York) for “Last Call: The Underage Drinking Life”
A multi-part series on alcohol abuse and underage drinking, with a special supplement on drinking responsibly for college students (August 2001- December 2001)
First Place – NPR’s Justice Talking and the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania for “Directing America’s Drug War: Which Way to a Safer Society?”
A report on the “drug wars,” followed by a debate between DEA chief Asa Hutchinson and New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson about the future direction of America’s war on drugs (November 12, 2001)
Second Place – One Voice: Media United Against Drugs (KMTR-TV, KVAL-TV, KLSR-TV, KEVU-TV in Springfield, Oregon) for “Connecting With Kids: What You Need To Know”
A locally-produced, collaborative program on teens and drugs and alcohol use that includes family profiles, experts and tips for helping parents deal with talking to their kids about drugs and alcohol (January 20, 2002)