Announcement from Local Editor Mike Semel, Deputy Local Editor Maria Glod and Local Enterprise Editor Lynda Robinson:
We are thrilled to announce that William Wan has won the Ethics in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
William was cited specifically for his run of coverage exploring systemic problems facing mentally ill youths. The SPJ noted how well William captured the struggle of real people trapped in the systems. “The ethical challenges he faced revolved around intimately reporting on suicide and mental health without further traumatizing the victims, causing a contagion effect or making sure the interviewees weren’t passively written about,” the SPJ said in its announcement.
The body of work was an incredibly sensitive and well-told series of stories that included “Is this what a good mother looks like?” about how Lisa Rowe gave up custody of her son so he could get the help he needed; Yale University asking students dealing with mental illness to withdraw from the college; an autistic teen waiting months in a Maryland ER for a psychiatric bed; and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge’s reputation for being “a magnet for suicides in the region.”
The SPJ praised William’s work for forcing real change. Child-welfare workers helped get Rowe’s son into a long-term treatment facility; Yale announced major changes, reversing its policies on nearly every issue that was raised; the Maryland Hospital Association called for action; and Maryland officials are discussing the need for suicide barriers on the Bay Bridge.
William has not been shy about sharing with all of us – at brown bags and special sessions – the toll this kind of work can take. His helping us deal with the difficulties of our jobs is just the kind of ethical nature that William displays. It’s great that the SPJ is recognizing what we all know in William.
Please join us in congratulating him.
