Over 40,000 viewers were clocked on the counter of Democracy Now's Livestream. It was September 21st 2011 and Troy Davis was set to be executed by the state of Georgia, in the USA. For several hours, Democracy Now was listed as a trending subject on Twitter, alongside the name of its anchor woman and reporter, Amy Goodman.
By the end of an emotionally charged six hours, many of those tweets were calling for Amy Goodman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for TV journalism. They were impressed by her calm and incisive questioning, knowledge of her subject matter and her ability to keep everyone informed, even as the initial two hours of broadcasting stretched into six. But is she eligible for a Pulitzer Prize?
Why Did Reporting Upon Troy Davis and the Death Penalty Attract so Much Attention?
It was a controversial case, which had already seen the defendant saved from the gurney on three previous occasions. Each time the temporary reprieve had come at the 11th hour, while lawyers sought to prove Mr Davis's innocence. Amnesty International were involved and their on-going campaign stated there was too much doubt.
Nevertheless, as the lethal injection was prepared for the fourth time, not even the US Supreme Court would stop the killing. Amid worldwide shock and condemnation, Troy Davis was put to death.
How the Media and Social Media Reacted to the Execution of Troy Davis
The mainstream media did cover the high-profile case of Troy Davis; as well as the issues concerning the death penalty, that it had ignited in debate. But it was the independent broadcasting of Democracy Now which emerged as the popular source of information. Cameras outside the prison captured live coverage from the 700 protesters gathered outside. Their Livestream feed could only be watched on the internet, with the link passed along by word of mouth publicity and seemingly endless tweets.
Democracy Now's coverage provided a sense of urgency and intimacy, as the dramatic events played out, in Jackson, Georgia. For the duration of their marathon broadcast, every Twitter trend was related to the Troy Davis case. The only exceptions were the top three listed, which are reserved for paid hashtags promoted by Twitter itself. Such subject popularity could be seen as being prompted by Amy Goodman's reporting, particularly as her own name was one of the hashtags that was trending.
Who is Amy Goodman?
Amy Goodman is a Harvard graduate, who produced Evening News for New York's WBAI radio channel for ten years. In 1991, she was badly beaten by soldiers, while reporting upon the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. Her documentary, Massacre: The Story of East Timor, won a host of awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting.
Though based in New York City, USA, she has travelled extensively around the world as a reporter, as well as engaging in public speaking. She is known for her tenacity in gaining access to those she wishes to interview. For example, she was the first journalist able to speak with Lori Berenson, a political prisoner in Lima, Perú.
In addition to journalism, Amy Goodman has co-authored several books with her brother David. She was awarded the 2008 Right Livelihood Award (the 'alternative Nobel Peace Prize'), in the Swedish Parliament, in December 2008.
What is Democracy Now?
In 1996, Amy Goodman was asked to create Democracy Now! by WBAI's parent company, Pacifica Radio. The channel describes itself as 'a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 900 television and radio stations in North America'. In addition to the Livestream, there is also website exclusive content. The group pride themselves in providing a new outlet for voices which are largely unheard in the mainstream media.
She remains its executive producer, as well as co-founder, anchorperson and main investigative journalist.
Should Amy Goodman Receive a Pulitzer Prize for Independent Reporting on Troy Davis?
Many commentators, watching Amy Goodman reporting from Jackson, Georgia, started tweeting that she should be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her work. Just one example was that sent by @RSoon, who wrote, 'If you don't know, Amy Goodman is a soldier. She deserves a Pulitzer, IMO.' Another was @katedoak, responding to a retweet, who commented, 'Only a Pullitzer, Allison? Presidential Medal of Freedom would be more worthy!' Others expressed their opinion of the coverage in other ways. Amongst them was @x7o advising that 'the @DemocracyNow footage from this evening should be made available forever as testament to the due process barbarity of the death penalty.'
With such a strong reaction to the independent reporting of Amy Goodman, it seemed only a matter of time before she was nominated for a Pulitzer prize. Unfortunately, this will be an accolade which remains out of her grasp in this instance. The rules of the board state that she is ineligible.
The Pulitzer Plan of Award states that 'entries for journalism awards may be made by any individual based on material coming from a text-based United States newspaper or news site that publishes at least weekly during the calendar year and that adheres to the highest journalistic principles. Magazines and broadcast media, and their respective Web sites, are not eligible.'
By reporting through the broadcast media, Amy Goodman's coverage of the execution of Troy Davis was rendered invalid.
Sources:
- Democracy Now, 6-Hour Live Broadcast From Troy Davis Execution: Did Georgia Execute an Innocent Man? (September 22nd 2011, but includes archive of Livestream from September 21st 2011.)
- Democracy Now, Staff: Amy Goodman.
- Democracy Now Livestream. (Personal viewing as events unfolded on September 21st 2011.)
- The Pulitzer Prizes, Plan of Award. (PDF) (January 2011.)
- Truthdig, Amy Goodman Bio. (Amy Goodman is a columnist for this online publication.)
- Twitter, @katedoak. (September 21st 2011.)
- Twitter, @RSoon. (September 21st 2011.)
- Twitter, @x7o. (September 21st 2011.)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
