AJS [American Judicature Society]

Linda Deutsch and Angie Hendershot Win National Journalism Award

Des Moines---Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and reporter Angie Hendershot of WJRT ABC-12 (Flint, Michigan) have been named joint recipients of the American Judicature Society’s Toni House Journalism Award. For the first time, the award is being presented to two journalists in the same year to recognize outstanding reporting on the courts in print and broadcast/electronic mediums.

Deutsch was selected as the print media recipient for her career body of work as a legal affairs reporter with The Associated Press. Hendershot’s superb three year series focusing on the intersection of social issues and the courts earned her the broadcast/electronic award for 2010.

The co-winners were selected by a three-member panel chaired by previous Toni House Award winner Howard Witt. The selection committee included Judge Susan Webber Wright, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas; and Ruth Walsh McIntyre, professional journalist and member of the AJS Board of Directors from Washington State.

In announcing the panel’s selection, Witt stated: “Linda Deutsch is recognized for a legal reporting career with the Associated Press spanning more than 40 years during which she covered some of the seminal legal cases of our times, including the trials of Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Manson, Patty Hearst, O.J. Simpson and the Unabomber. Deutsch ranks as one of the nation’s pre-eminent chroniclers of the legal system, whose clear, concise reports have connected millions of readers around the world to the inner workings of America’s courtrooms. Beyond the courtroom, Deutsch has been a tireless champion of the First Amendment and the fundamental rights of the public to attend and observe court proceedings.”

Witt went on to say, “Angie Hendershot is being recognized for an extraordinary, in-depth series of broadcast stories that probed a deeply complex social issue: the struggles of the courts to stitch broken families back together. Hendershot’s reports examined innovative judicial programs in Genesee County, Michigan, and Miami, Florida, designed to rescue abused and neglected children from foster care by supporting their parents and teaching them basic parenting skills. Together with photojournalist Chris Carr, she produced a chronicle of a judicial success story that could serve as a model for other courts around the nation to follow.”

Deutsch and Hendershot are joint recipients of the eleventh Toni House Award, which will be presented to each of them later this year. Previous recipients include Jerry Mitchell, Clarion-Ledger; Jack Kresnak, Detroit Free Press; and Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio.

AJS is dedicated to furthering public understanding of the judicial system. Toni House reflected that commitment by devoting her career to explaining the workings of the court system to the public—first as a journalist and later as the U.S. Supreme Court’s public information officer. At the time of her death in 1998, House was of member of the AJS Executive Committee.

Founded in 1913, AJS is a leader is improving our nation’s courts. The AJS mission is to ensure a fair, impartial, independent judiciary, and to educate the public and build confidence in the justice system. For more information on AJS, visit our web site at www.ajs.org.