A Harvard Crimson reporter who explored the influence and about-face of the U.S. intellectual community on pre- and post-war Iraq has earned The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s 2008 David W. Miller Award for Student Journalists.
The three-part series by Harvard senior Lois Beckett, included a glimpse at red-faced academics who originally advocated regime change in Iraq or predicted an easy rebuilding process; a profile of a Harvard economics professor involved in the post-war rebuilding of Iraq’s economic infrastructure; and a feature pondering the responsibilities and difficulties intellectuals faced when deciding to publicly speak or stay silent about their positions for or against the Iraq War.
According to a Chronicle story on Beckett’s receipt of the award, “the Miller committee cited the depth of Ms. Beckett’s reporting, the balance of viewpoints she presented, and the grace of her writing.”
