FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Katherine Garner
214.977.6658
2004
James Madison Award Recipient Announced
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas will present
the 2004 James Madison Award posthumously to Howard Swindle,
Oct. 1, in Austin, Texas. 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.
Swindle was a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist whose stories
and projects uncovered racial discrimination in public housing,
police brutality, and savings and loan scandals. He was a
champion of access to public records and fought frequently
to make sure the government's business was conducted in the
open. He died June 9, 2004 after a five-year battle with cancer.
“For
Howard Swindle, freedom of information was not merely an abstract
ideal. It was something he gave life and breath to every day
by the outstanding journalism he practiced,” said attorney
Paul Watler, a director and past president of the FOIFT. “Howard
was an unanimous choice to receive this year's James Madison
Award. Howard showed that open government laws could be used
to expose wrongdoing and protect citizen rights.”
Swindle was a past director of the Foundation and worked tirelessly
on behalf of the FOIFT. His commitment to public information
helped build the Foundation into one of the leading state
FOI organizations in the country.
Swindle was a reporter and editor at The Dallas Morning
News for more than 20 years. The
News was awarded the Pulitzer Prize
for investigative reporting in 19 92 for the "Abuse
of Authority" series edited
and directed by Swindle. That project was built on aggressive
use of the Texas Open Records Act
to compel law enforcement agencies across the
state to reveal the details of cases wher e citizens
alleged abuse at the hands of officers. He
directed other proj ects that included "FOI audits"
documenting blatant violations
of the open records act by many governmental bodies
in withholding basic information such as budgets and
salaries. He previously worked at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
and the Dallas Times Herald and was the author
of several books.
He was known for mentoring and teaching young reporters about
their profession. He taught many
young reporters how to use the FOI laws to advance
their coverage of complex public
issues.
His daughter Ashley Swindle will accept the award on his behalf
during the John Henry Faulk Awards Luncheon, Friday, Oct.
1, at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Austin.
The luncheon is part of the 2004 Bernard and Audre Rapoport
FOI State Conference “Cooperating for the Public Good.” Admittance
to the John Henry Faulk Awards 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 purpose of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas
is to encourage, sponsor and facilitate a greater appreciation,
knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment. Working
to ensure that the public's business is conducted in public,
the FOIFT has successfully helped citizens access open meetings
and documents that should be a matter of public record.
Since 1978, the Foundation's goal has been to educate media
and legal professionals, educators, students, public and business
officials and individual citizens about their rights and responsibilities
as citizens in our democracy.
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is a nonprofit
501(c)(3) organization supported through grants and tax-deductible
donations from private citizens, corporations and foundations.
For more information, call 214.977.6658, or visit our Web
page, www.foift.org.
###
|