WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Indian-American journalist Neela Banerjee and her colleagues were honored during Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner with the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
The award is distributed annually to journalists who best reports on matters of national or regional significance. Banerjee, John Cushman Jr, David Hasemyer and Lisa Song were the official recipients.
Before her time with Inside Climate News began, Banerjee served as the Los Angeles Times’ energy and environment reporter. Before that, she covered various fields, ranging from global energy, the Iraq war and other issues for The New York Times. Additionally, she once served as a Moscow correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
Edgar Allan Poe awards from 2012.
“As early as 1977, scientists at energy and oil giant Exxon Corporation told top executives that fossil fuel emissions were warming the planet. Over time, however, Exxon became a leader in denying climate change and argued that the science was inclusive,” judges for the award wrote. “Reporters Neela Banerjee, John Cushman, Jr David Hasemyer and Lisa Song of Inside Climate News, used documents, interviews and the public record from four decades to reveal a deeply disturbing trail from climate change discovery to denial,” it said.
Banerjee and her colleagues also shared this year’s award with Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post, who uncovered a story of lead poisoning among poor black children in Baltimore.
