'A Model Of Reporting Excellence'

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By Newsweek Editors

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When NEWSWEEK correspondent Michael Isikoff realized the implications of a tip that Ken Starr was investigating the president's alleged relationship with a White House intern, he "felt a little dizzy and weak," he recalls. "I went out for some fresh air." That short walk turned into a year's journey. Last week the American Society of Magazine Editors honored NEWSWEEK's coverage of the Monica Lewinsky scandal with the 1999 National Magazine Award for excellence in reporting, saluting our "tenacious pursuit of a story that others dismissed, set the nation's agenda and changed the political landscape. It's an achievement that will endure as a model of reporting excellence." It is the first time a NEWSWEEKly has won this award. "Mike Isikoff did what any great investigative reporter does," said NEWSWEEK Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Richard M. Smith last week. "He followed the trail, added fact upon fact and got the story right."

Isikoff uncovered the scandal; Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas wrote the compelling narratives that made sense of the story. Isikoff was joined by NEWSWEEK's Mark Hosenball and Daniel Klaidman; Howard Fineman and Jonathan Alter offered our readers sharp political analysis. The Washington bureau chief, Managing Editor Ann McDaniel, oversaw the reporting effort. We don't want to be wrong on any story, and each week the team spent many hours in huddled discussions in McDaniel's office, combing over its work for accuracy and fairness. ("Almost certain," said McDaniel, "wasn't good enough.") In New York, Editor Mark Whitaker and Managing Editor Jon Meacham shaped the overall coverage.

Since the inception of the awards in 1966, NEWSWEEK has won eight, more than any other newsweekly. In accepting the prestigious "Ellie," Smith said, "This award is a tribute to the best team of reporters in the news-magazine business and to two great editors--our late friend and colleague Maynard Parker, who did so much to build and energize that team, and to Mark Whitaker, who led the magazine with such skill and distinction during the past year." Whitaker himself praised the reporting team. "I couldn't be prouder of the way this superb group of journalists combined relentless reporting with fairness and good judgment," he said. Getting it right for our readers is our goal on every story, week in and week out.

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