The best of the week’s news

• Licenses yanked from dozens of car dealerships after Sidney-winning exposé of illegal “ghost tags.” (Streetsblog)  
   
• National Labor Relations Board blocks bid to dissolve Starbucks union at Mall of America. (MN Reformer)  
   
• Elmore Nickleberry, one of the last living participants in the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968, dies at age 92. (NYT)  
   
• The “legitimate shell company” that Oversight Chair James Comer initially denied owning was shut down twice. (Daily Beast)  
   
• Big Oil drops eight figures on ads to derail action on the climate crisis. (Guardian)

The SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice honors investigative journalists who expose and confront workplace injustice. The award commends journalists whose reporting plumbs the depths of racial discrimination and economic inequality, sparking crucial conversations and driving positive change.

Entries are evaluated on impact, depth of investigation, and quality of storytelling. The SEIU Award aims to inspire workers fighting for justice in the workplace and provide a platform to share the stories of these everyday changemakers. Through this recognition, the SEIU Award celebrates the vital role of investigative journalism in creating a more equitable and inclusive society.

All entries to the 2024 Hillman Prizes for Journalism will be automatically considered for this award.

The SEIU Award will be presented at the annual Hillman Prizes for Journalism celebration in May in New York City.

Sidney’s Picks:

• Broad-based labor coalition stands up to Elon Musk in Scandinavia. (CNBC, NYT)
   
• Early-career NIH researchers vote to form a union. (Nature)
   
• Washington Post journalists stage historic 24-hour walkout. (DCist, Politico)
   
• Ballot initiatives: A new path to organizing Uber and Lyft? (OnLabor)
   
• Profemur artificial hips failed, sending patients crashing to the floor. (KHN)
   
• United Autoworkers announces audacious plan to unionize a dozen non-union plants at once. (How Things Work)

NEW YORK (Nov 28, 2023) — The Sidney Hillman Foundation is now accepting entries for the 2024 Hillman Prizes honoring excellence in investigative journalism and commentary in service of the common good.

The Hillman Prizes celebrate print, digital and broadcast reporting that exposes social and economic injustice and leads to meaningful public policy change. Hillman Prize winners will be awarded a $5,000 honorarium and a certificate at our celebration in New York City to be held on May 7, 2024. 

The 2024 Hillman Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

• Book (nonfiction)
• Newspaper Reporting (story/series/multimedia - may include photo, video, graphics - print/online)
• Magazine Reporting (longform; print/online)
• Broadcast Journalism (television, radio, podcast; at least 20 minutes in total package length)
• Opinion and Analysis Journalism (commentary and analysis in any medium)

New in 2024, the foundation will administer the SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice. All Hillman Prize entries will be automatically considered for this award as well.

“As the world around us becomes more divided and dangerous, we are reminded of the importance of the truth, and the crucial role investigative journalists play in uncovering it,” said Alexandra Lescaze, executive director of the Sidney Hillman Foundation. “Their work holding powerful people to account deserves to be acknowledged and supported, now more than ever, and  the Sidney Hillman Foundation is proud to do just that.” 

Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists, writers and public figures who pursue investigative journalism and public policy for the common good. Sidney Hillman was the founding president of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, a predecessor of Workers United, SEIU. An architect of the New Deal, Hillman fought to build a vibrant union movement extending beyond the shop floor to all aspects of working people’s lives.

Eligibility: 
Entries must have been published or broadcast in 2023 and made widely available to a U.S audience. Nominated material and a cover letter can be submitted here. There is no fee to enter. Deadline for entries is January 30, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.

Judges: 
The 2024 Hillman Prize judges are Jamelle Bouie, columnist, The New York Times; Maria Carrillo, former enterprise editor Tampa Bay Times/Houston Chronicle; Ta-Nehisi Coates, bestselling author and former national correspondent, The Atlantic; Alix Freedman, global editor, Ethics and Standards, Reuters; Harold Meyerson, editor at large, The American Prospect; and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher, The Nation.

For entry or event questions, please contact: 

Alexandra Lescaze 
alex@hillmanfoundation.org or 917-696-2494