Medill Medal for Courage Goes to Two Chicago Tribune Reporters

EVANSTON, Ill. --- In a series of in-depth Chicago Tribune articles, reporters David Jackson and Gary Marx provide evidence that growing numbers of criminal suspects are crossing America’s borders and successfully evading trial for murder, rape and other crimes. Now veteran investigative reporters David Jackson and Gary Marx have been awarded the 2011 Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism for their ongoing series.

The Medill Medal is awarded yearly by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications to the individual or team of journalists, working for a U.S.-based media outlet, who best displayed moral, ethical or physical courage in the pursuit of a story or series of stories.

Jackson and Marx earned the Medill Medal for Courage for “Across the Border, Beyond the Law: Flaws in the justice system help fugitives cross America’s borders and avoid capture.” Medill Professor Donna Leff, founding editor of People magazine Richard Stolley and Bloomberg News executive editor for federal, state and local coverage Susan Goldberg judged the competition.

Leff said Marx and Jackson’s work blended “old-fashioned reporting shoe-leather, exhaustive public records searches and fierce courage in confronting international fugitives on their home turfs.” It also reflected their willingness to fearlessly wander in areas known for harboring drug cartels that rule by assassination and kidnapping, she added.

For more about the award-winning series, the reforms that the reporters’ work has inspired and this year’s Medill Medal for Courage finalists, visit http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/newsreleases/archives.aspx?id=203744.