New York, NY, Dec 17, 2019 —Alfredo Corchado, veteran correspondent for the Dallas Morning News and a pioneer in border journalism, has been named the 2020 Justice Media Trailblazer by John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Crime Report.
The awards are given annually to honor individuals in the media or media-related fields who have furthered national understanding of the 21st-century challenges of criminal justice.
Corchado has won national acclaim as an advocate of justice for the people of the “borderlands” spanning the Mexico-U.S. border region. His most recent book, “Homelands,” is required reading for policymakers, journalists and advocates seeking to address the nation’s immigration challenges. Among Alfredo’s many honors is the Maria Moors Cabot award, considered the Pulitzer Prize for reporting in Latin America.
Corchado has been called a “voice for truth on both sides of the border,”
He has won national acclaim as an advocate of justice for the people of the borderlands spanning the Mexico-U.S. border region, and has been a champion of journalists who have, like him, risked their lives to cover the activities of Mexican drug cartels.
Some 52 Mexican journalists have been killed since 1992, and this year, Mexico, surpassed Syria to become the deadliest country for journalists, with over 12 killed by September, 2019, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Corchado’s reporting on drug-related violence led him to the discovery of crimes committed in Texas under the orders of a Mexican paramilitary group known as the Zetas.
He will be presented with the 7th annual Justice Media Trailblazer award at a gala dinner at John Jay College on the evening of February 20, 2020, which will also recognize the winners of the this year’s John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Prizes for Excellence in Criminal Justice Journalism. The dinner is the highlight of the 15th annual John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Justice in America held February 20-21, 2020.
Alfredo will be introduced by Zahira Torres, an editor in ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, the first Latinx woman to serve as editor of the El Paso Times, and a former Pulitzer Prize winner.
The February event will be emceed by NY 1 News anchor Errol Louis.
“In a year when immigration and border issues have been at the forefront of media attention, we are especially pleased to recognize the trailblazing contributions Alfredo Corchado has made to the national justice debate,” said Stephen Handelman, Executive Editor of The Crime Report.
“And what makes it even more special is to present him with the award at John Jay College, which has been among the nation’s leaders in promoting education for Dreamers and the Latinx community.”
More information about the Trailblazer awards and the Guggenheim conference is available here.
Previous “Trailblazers” were: Sarah Koenig of NPR and podcaster Brittany Packnett (2019); Bill Moyers, executive producer of “Rikers: An American Jail” (2018); Van Jones of CNN (2017); New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb (2016); Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black (2015); Maria Hinojosa, producer of Latino USA (2014); and David Simon of The Wire (2013).
Seating is limited and available by reservation only. Please book your seats here.
About John Jay College of Criminal Justice: An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality, and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu and follow @JohnJayCollege on Twitter.
The Crime Report, published daily by John Jay’s Center on Media, Crime and Justice, is a national online site located at www.thecrimereport.org, that provides analysis, research news and commentary prepared for practitioners, criminologists, journalists and others across the criminal justice community. The Center on Media, Crime and Justice was established at John Jay College in 2006 as the nation's only practice- and research-oriented think tank devoted to encouraging and developing high-quality reporting on criminal justice, and to promoting better-informed public debate on the complex 21st Century challenges of law enforcement, public security and justice in a globalized urban society. For more information, visit the Center on Media, Crime and Justice Website.
