The investigation reveals how an industrial company with multinational capital exerts control over the water of the southern Jordan Valley in Jordan. The influence of the company over these water resources is compounded by poor implementation of a project for a concrete dam, funded by this company and supervised by the government. This problem caused an increase in the cost of the project and gave the company, in exchange, the right to uncontrolled use of water resources in one of the most fertile, yet water-poor, agricultural areas of Jordan.
The investigation was described (in the announcement) as “a new source unknown to many in the US. A story few of us know about production values that overcome the lack of easy visuals, put it all together and you get an unexpected contradiction. Joy at watching journalists excel at their craft and anger at the subject matter they are tackling.”
Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.
The awards span four main categories: all platforms, television and audio, art, graphics and multimedia, and print, online and wire—recognizing excellence across diverse forms of journalistic storytelling.
