This week, Reuters won two National Press Club Awards and received an honorable mention – Reuters best showing to-date in this well-respected contest. A series of stories on the Iran prisoner-hostage swap, by Yeganeh Torbati, Joel Schectman, Matt Spetalnick, Lesley Wroughton and Patricia Zengerle, won the Edwin M. Hood Diplomatic Award. The judges said the Reuters reporters offered a close look at the prisoners that President Barack Obama agreed to release in exchange for the four Americans held by Tehran and that their reporting made clear it represented a reversal of five years of U.S. policy. Here are the links to their coverage: As relations thaw, some Iranian prisoners in U.S. hope for early release here Exclusive: White House dropped $10 million claim in Iran prisoner deal here Exclusive: Obama pardons Iranians charged with sanctions violations here On US end of Iran prisoner deal, doubts and delays in final hours here Exclusive: In negotiating to free Americans in Iran, U.S. blinked on new sanctions here The series "Unsafe at Any Level," by Michael Pell and Joshua Schneyer, won in the Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism category. The judges said the series was "really important reporting on a crucial topic - the lead-water crisis in Flint, Mich. Interactive graphics allow readers to search different cities to see how they're affected." The series "The Uncounted," by Ryan McNeill, Deborah J. Nelson, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Andrew Chung, David Rohde and Benjamin Lesser, was given an Honorable Mention in the Consumer Journalism-Newspapers category. Judges said the "hard-hitting series explores the deadly ramifications from 'superbugs,' antibiotic-resistance bacteria that can develop in health care settings and raise hell on both individual lives and the entire system." These awards add to a growing number of prestigious recognitions so far this year, including a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a One World Media Award, four Loeb Award finalists, twelve SOPA Award recognitions, two SABEW Awards and four Deadline Club Award honorees. Media Contact: Heather dot Carpenter at thomsonreuters dot com [Reuters PR Blog Post]
