FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  FOIFT office

214.977.6658

2006 James Madison Award Recipients Announced

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will present the 2006 James Madison Award to Dr. Craig Flournoy, assistant professor at Southern Methodist University; Dan Malone, instructor of journalism at Tarleton State University; and Gayle Reaves, editor of the Fort Worth Weekly, Sept. 8, in Austin, Texas, for their work with the FOIFT-sponsored Light of Day project.  The James Madison Award was created to honor individuals whose appreciation and respect for the First Amendment and open government have been demonstrated by exemplary actions, words or deeds.

Journalism students from universities across the state have joined forces in the Light of Day project to learn how to use the state's public information laws.  The 2004-2005 theme focused on campus crime and the Clery Act.  Nineteen articles – five in the Fort Worth Weekly – have been published on findings from the student's research.   Their statewide look at the failure of many Texas colleges to fully comply with the Clery Act won first and second prizes in regional and statewide journalism competitions.  The story prompted an ongoing investigation by the federal Department of Education.  

The 2005-2006 theme highlights law enforcement officers' use of force, focusing on Taser use.  The topic has proved to be such an undertaking it has been extended for another year.   The project thus far has spurred three articles, two published in the Ft. Worth Weekly and one in the North Texas Daily.  The project has shed light on the open records request process and taught all those involved invaluable lessons.  

Flournoy was instrumental in the project's first year.  He was a key force in getting students involved.  His students were responsible for the “Dorm from Hell” article (Dallas Observer, Apr. 28, 2005) that brought about housing changes at the University of Texas at Dallas.  Flournoy was an investigative reporter for The Dallas Morning News for 22 years.  In 1986 he won the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting – the first for The Dallas Morning News.  He is a former recipient of the Defending the Open Doors Award from the Fort Worth Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and has won 11 Dallas Press Club Katie awards, including five for investigative reporting.  

Malone directed the project at The University of North Texas where he had students involved in the letter writing, response follow ups and complaint filings for those who had not responded.   He has taken the lead on much of the research.  Malone is a former Pulitzer Prize winner for investigative reporting for a series of stories at The Dallas Morning News charging Texas police with extensive misconduct and abuses of power.  He is also a previous recipient of the prestigious Stephen Philbin Award given by the Dallas Bar Association.

Reaves is the key contributor on the reporting side of the project.   Her paper, the Fort Worth Weekly , has published seven articles to date.  Her support has given the Light of Day project a voice.  Prior to the Weekly she worked at The Dallas Morning News, where she won, in 1994, the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for a team-produced series on the international implications of violence against women.  She is the immediate past president of the Society of Professional Journalists, Fort Worth Pro Chapter and the co-founder and past president of the Association for Women Journalists.  

The awards will be presented during the John Henry Faulk Awards Luncheon, Friday, Sept. 8, at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown.   The luncheon is part of the 2006 Bernard and Audre Rapoport FOI State Conference, “Partners for Democracy:  Working Together for Government Access."  Admittance to the luncheon is included with the conference registration fee.  For more information on the conference or the luncheon, call (214) 977-6658 or visit www.foift.org.

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported through tax-deductible donations from private citizens, corporations, and foundations.

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