The American Bar Association will present its 2017 Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts, which recognize outstanding work that fosters the American public's understanding of law and the legal system. The event marks the 60th annual presentation. This is the ABA's highest honor in recognition of this purpose. The awards will be given at a ceremony on Tuesday, July 18, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Brooke Gladstone, managing editor and co-host of public radio's "On the Media" is the featured speaker at the awards ceremony. ABA President Linda Klein will present four Silver Gavels and two honorable mentions from 156 entries received in all eligible categories - including books, commentary, documentaries, drama and literature, magazines, multimedia, newspapers, radio and television.
No more than one Silver Gavel is presented in each category.
Among the honorees that will be in attendance include Matthew Desmond, author of "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" and Heather Ann Thompson, author of "Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy."
The association has presented these awards annually since 1958. The 18-member ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards makes final award decisions.
Silver Gavel winners are:
Books
Silver Gavel
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Matthew Desmond, Author
Penguin Random House/Crown Publishers
Honorable Mention
Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
Heather Ann Thompson, Author
Penguin Random House/Pantheon Books
Documentaries
Silver Gavel
Do Not Resist
VANISH Films
Craig Atkinson, Director
Laura Hartrick, Producer
Newspapers
Honorable Mention
Forsaken: Florida's Broken Mental Health System
Sun Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Dana Banker, Managing Editor
Megan O'Matz, Sally Kestin, and Stephen Hobbs, Reporters
John Maines, Database Editor
Radio
Silver Gavel
More Perfect
WNYC Studios
Jad Abumrad, Executive Producer, Host, Creator
Suzie Lechtenberg, Executive Producer
Kelsey Padgett, Producer, Reporter
Sean Rameswaram, Correspondent
Tobin Low, Producer
Television
Silver Gavel
Trapped
Trilogy Films
Dawn Porter, Director
Marilyn Ness, Producer
Published: Thu, Jul 13, 2017
