The 2011 Arthur F. Burns Awards honored articles on a range of issues—from surfer culture to nuclear power. The German Foreign Minister awards the prizes to one German and one American Burns alumni, who published an outstanding story during 2011 on a political, economic or cultural issue in the partner country or on transatlantic relations.

The 2,000-Euro prize for the best German contribution went to the Tageszeitung’s Berlin bureau chief Gordon Repinski (Burns 2011) for “Der Fall Irons (The Irons Case),” published in sonntaz on November 5, 2011. The story is about the short, high-octane life of surfing legend Andy Irons who, unable to handle his early stardom and the glamour of the surfer scene, died of a drug-induced heart attack at age 32. Repinski spent part of his Burns Fellowship last year in San Diego exploring the dark side of a “much too cool world, in which the party must never end.”

Aaron Wiener (Burns 2010) won the best American contribution for “How Germany phased out nuclear power, only to get mugged by reality,” published in The New Republic on October 31, 2011. Protecting the environment is not just a matter of politics in Germany, but also often a matter of faith. Environmental protection has become standard public policy over the past 30 years in the German Republic. But Wiener describes the unexpected and dramatic consequences of the abrupt change in energy policy by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the errors of all the parties involved—from the nuclear energy lobby to the environmental protection movement. His article is non-polemic and highly informative.

Two German journalists and one American received honorary mentions. Justus Bender (Burns 2010) was honored for his article “Mr. President, es wird ein leichter Tag (Mr. President, it will be an easy day),” a remarkable portrait of the lives and impressions of the Florida second graders who were meeting with President George W. Bush ten years ago when the airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center towers. The article was published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on September 4, 2011. Stephan Seiler (Burns 2010) was honored for “Liebe zum Abgewöhnen (Weaning off love),” his moving story about evangelical Christians in Texas who try to “heal” homosexual and bisexual youth through prayer under the motto “pray away the gay.” His story ran in a special October edition of Max.

U.S. journalist Anton Troianovski (Burns 2011), a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, received an honorary mention for his amusing and informative story titled “Germans face off in hairy debate over whisker do´s and don´ts,” published on September 23, 2011. The story is about a rift within the German community of competitive beard enthusiasts. The well researched short story about bearded men and the intricacies of their club, the Association of German Beard Clubs, offers a wonderful insight into a very German cultural phenomenon.

The jury for the Arthur F. Burns Prize was composed of journalists Sabine Christiansen, Dr. Christoph von Marschall (Tagesspiegel), Claus Strunz (Axel Springer), Stefan Kornelius (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and Dr. Dominik Wichmann (Stern), as well as Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling (ZDF) and Petra Stoeckl (Foreign Ministry of Germany).

The 2010 Burns and Kennan Award winners covered a broad range of topics—from the tragic suicide of an Iraq war veteran, to the homeschooling of German children, to the U.S. Congressional elections of 2010.

Cordula Meyer (Burns 1998), Washington correspondent for Der Spiegel, won the German Burns Award for her article “Dämonen im Kopf (Battling the Inner Demons of War),” published on March 22, 2010. In her article, she writes about the life of U.S. army medic Joseph Dwyer, who became an iconic symbol of an American war hero when he rescued a four-year-old Iraqi boy in the midst of a battle. In her powerful article, Meyer recounts the drama that unfolded after Dwyer came to fame: his suffering and self-doubt, and the difficult transition back to civilian life. He took his own life five years after his last deployment. While focusing on the tragic story of Joe Dwyer, Meyer also raises awareness of the larger issue of suicide among U.S. veterans, which claimed more than twice as many victims in 2009 than the Iraq war itself.

Krista Kapralos (Burns 2010) won the U.S. Burns Award for “ Unsere Kinder leben in Verborgenen (Homeschoolers risk jail, thwart officials in Germany),” published on December 8, 2010, in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and in abbreviated form on December 9, 2010, in religiousnews.com. Kapralos conducted extensive research during her Burns fellowship in 2010, and skillfully covers the recent and growing phenomenon of homeschooling in Germany. She discusses the variety of reasons why parents decide against enrolling their children in the public school system, the possible punishments and consequences they are willing to accept for this decision, and the different strategies parents use in order not to get caught.

The two 2,000-Euro prizes are awarded by Germany’s foreign minister.

Additionally, the jury awarded one German and one American Burns alumni with honorary mentions. Christian Salewski (Burns 2010) was honored for his article “Der China Kracher (The China Firecracker),” published in the January edition of Capital. Salewski reports on the scandal of the plaster corporation Knauf from Franken, Germany, which provided contaminated drywall from China to U.S. construction projects during the American building boom. He uncovered this example of one of the pitfalls of globalization during his Burns Fellowship in 2010. Aaron Ricadela (Burns 2003) received the mention for his feature “SAP Co-CEOs chart a bold new course,” published on May 21, 2010, in Bloomberg Businessweek.com. In an intelligent and well-researched article, Ricadela writes about Germany’s fourth largest corporation, which is managed by American and Danish leadership.

The jury also gave an honorable mention to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent Stefan Tomik (Burns 2009) for his lead article on the journalistic topic of the year, Wikileaks, which was published in the Sunday edition of his paper. The jury commended Tomik for his bold and excellently written commentary on whether the actions of Julian Assange and his group were right or wrong. While the content itself was controversial for some members of the jury, all agreed that the article deserved to be honorably mentioned for its high journalistic quality.

The jury was comprised of journalists Sabine Christiansen (TV21 Media), Dr. Christoph von Marschall (Tagesspiegel), Claus Strunz (Hamburger Abendblatt), and Dr. Dominik Wichmann (Stern), as well as Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling (ZDF) and Petra Stoeckl (Foreign Ministry of Germany).

Download:
Cordula Meyer: Dämonen im Kopf (Battling the Inner Demons of War), Der Spiegel, published on March 22, 2010 (.pdf, 3,0 MB)

Coverage of U.S. home foreclosure crisis wins 2009 Burns Award
by Mario Scherhaufer

The 2009 German Burns Award winner looks at resistance by stressed U.S. homeowners facing eviction, while the Kennan Commentary Award winner looks at the changed meaning and interpretation of German “angst.”

Roman Pletter (Burns 2009), an editor at the business magazine Brand Eins, won the German Burns Award for “Die große Landnahme (The big land grab),” published in December 2009 in Brand Eins. Subtitled “Besuche an Orten des Widerstandes (Visiting places of resistance),” Pletter’s story deals with indebted U.S. citizens who are revolting against the banks trying to evict them. The jury was impressed by the extensive research by Pletter, who covered the issue from multiple perspectives. With clear and concise language and good composition, Pletter’s piece draws in the reader from beginning to end. By providing an exciting and detailed view of the resistance against bank evictions, Pletter also gave a deep portrayal of the American soul during trying economic times.

The two 2,000-Euro prizes, usually given to one German and one American alumnus or alumna, are awarded by Germany’s foreign minister. Pletter received his honor from German Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle at the annual Burns alumni dinner and lecture on June 2 in Berlin.

Despite an eventful year in Germany with Bundestagswahl (parliamentary elections), the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and other important domestic and foreign policy decisions, none of the stories received from U.S. Burns alumni was deemed worthy of the 2,000 euro prize by the selection jury.

Two American and one German Burns alumni received honorary mentions by the jury. David Francis (Burns 2009) was honored for his article “The next page: Berlin—20 years wall-free,” published on November 8, 2009, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The story is a very personal commentary on significant people, moments and places in Berlin’s recent history. Moira Herbst (Burns 2008) received the mention for “East Germany 20 Years after Reunification,” an overview of business and economic revival in the former East Germany published in Business Week on November 5, 2009. Herbst showcases former East German DDR brands that have successfully made the transition into the current German economy. Max von Klitzing (Burns 2004) and Freeeye TV received an honorary mention for a two-part TV documentary “Durch die Wildnis Amerikas (Through America’s wilderness),” aired on April 23 and 30, 2009, on NDR. Klitzing’s remarkable 90-minute documentary on one of the great American hiking challenges—the Appalachian Trail—portrayed magnificent landscapes along with a selection of stories from people living along the 3,400 kilometer trail between Georgia and Maine.

Download:
Roman Pletter: Die große Landnahme, brandeins, Heft 1/2010 (.pdf, 3,0 MB)

[Translate to Englisch:] Die Arthur F. Burns-Preise 2011 werden verliehen durch den Bundesminister des Auswärtigen an je einen deutschen und einen amerikanischen Burns-Alumni, der im Kalenderjahr 2011 in bemerkenswerter und herausragender Weise, unter Berücksichtigung besonderen journalistischen Könnens, einen Beitrag zur politischen, wirtschaftlichen oder kulturellen Situation des jeweiligen Partnerlandes oder zu den transatlantischen Beziehungen veröffentlich hat.

Der mit 2.000 Euro dotierte Preis für den besten deutschen Beitrag geht an den Redakteur im Haupstadtbüro des Spiegel, Gordon Repinski (Alumnus 2011), für seine am 5. November 2011 in der „sonntaz“ erschienene Reportage „Der Fall Irons“. Darin beschreibt der damals noch als Parlamentskorrespondent für die taz Tätige das kurze und hochtourige Leben des Surfer-Idols Andy Irons, der an frühem Ruhm und dem eitlen Schein der Szene zerbrach und – vollgepumpt mit Drogen - im Alter von 32 Jahren am Herzinfakt starb. Repinski zeigt, während seines Burns Fellowships im vergangenen Jahr in San Diego intensiv recherchiert, einfühlsam die Schattenseiten einer viel zu coolen Welt, in der die Party niemals enden darf.

Lobend erwähnen möchte die Jury zwei weitere deutsche Journalisten: Justus Bender für seine in der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung am 4. September erschiene bemerkenswerte Reportage „Mr President, es wird ein leichter Tag“, die den Lebensweg und die Eindrücke jener Zweitklässler in Florida zehn Jahre später porträtiert, die mit Präsident George W Bush im Gespräch waren, als die Flugzeuge in das World Trade Center flogen. Und schliesslich Stephan Seiler (Alum 2010) für seine in der Oktober-Sonderausgabe der Zeitschrift Max erschienene, sehr persönlich gefasste Reportage „Liebe zum Abgewöhnen“, die sich mit dem Unterfangen evangelikaler Christen in Texas beschäftigt, Homo- und Bisexuelle mit Gebeten und Gesprächen „zu heilen“. Ihr Motto: „Pray away the gay“.

Die Jury hat zudem entschieden, den mit ebenfalls 2.000 Euro dotierten Preis für den besten amerikanischen Beitrag in diesem Jahr an Aaron Wiener (Burns Alum 2010) zu verleihen, Mitarbeiter der Zeitschrift The New Republic, für seinen am 31. Oktober 2011 erschienen Beitrag „How Germany phased out nuclear power, only to get mugged by reality“. Der Schutz der Umwelt ist in Deutschland nicht nur eine politische Frage, sondern oftmals auch eine Glaubensfrage. Umweltschutz ist in Verlauf der vergangenen dreißig Jahre de facto zur Staaträson der Bundesrepublik geworden. Aaron Wiener beschreibt in seinem Artikel, zu welch unerwarteten Überraschungen die abrupte Energiewende von Kanzlerin Angela Merkel geführt hat. Er beschreibt die teils dramatischen Konsequenzen dieses Politikwechsels und die Irrtümer aller Beteiligten: von der Atomlobby bis hin zur Umweltschutzbewegung. All das schreibt Wiener in einer angenehm undogmatischen und wenig polemischen Weise, so dass sein Beitrag in erster Linie eines ist: aufklärerisch.

Lobend erwähnen möchte die Jury den US-Journalisten Anton Troianovski, Redakteur des Wall Street Journals (und Alumnus 2011) für seinen amüsanten und zugleich informativen Beitrag vom 23. September: „Germans face off in hairy debate over whisker do´s and don´ts”, der sich mit einem Schisma in der Gemeinde der professionellen Bartträger Deutschlands auseinandersetzt. Die perfekt ausrecherchierte Miniatur über Bartträger und die Tiefen ihres Vereinslebens im Verband Deutscher Bartclubs ist eine Studie über ein sehr deutsches Thema und gleichzeitig ein amüsantes Streiflicht auf eines jener Klischee besetzten Themen,  die man hierzulande leichtfertig als eigentümlich abtut.

The 2008 Burns Award winners focus on the hopes of the African-American civil rights movement with Barack Obama's historic election; on Germany's struggle with releasing Stasi police secrets; and on an American identity crisis displayed in its new embassy building in Berlin.

Gregor Peter Schmitz (Burns 1997), Washington correspondent for Der Spiegel, won the German Burns Award for "Obama's Traum (Obama's Dream)," published in the October 2008 Spiegel Special USA issue. Schmitz focused on a central theme of last year's U.S. presidential election: the African-American civil rights movement. In his article, Schmitz discusses the hopes of black civil rights activists and their role in the election of Barack Obama. But Schmitz also strikingly explains the disappointment of some within the movement, like Jesse Jackson, who was only a minor feature in Obama's campaign. This inconsistency is described vividly and extensively by the author, whose in-depth research impressed the jury.

Andrew Curry (Burns 2003), who currently freelances from Berlin, won the U.S. Burns Award for "Piecing together the dark legacy of East Germany's secret police," published in the February 2008 edition of Wired magazine. Considering that Curry's article on Germany's Stasi past is a marginal issue for U.S. readers, the fact that the magazine printed this considerably long story in its entirety is impressive. This is due to Curry's dramatic writing, which artfully explains the tedious puzzle work of regenerating the Stasi files, while relating the personal story of an employee of the agency in charge of the files. The jury felt that Curry covered this difficult topic in an entertaining and captivating way without losing focus on the story's depth or significance.

The two 2,000-Euro prizes are awarded by Germany's Foreign Minister. Both Curry and Schmitz received their honors at the annual Burns alumni dinner and lecture on June 4 in Berlin.

In addition, two German and one American Burns alumni received honorary mentions by the jury. Silvia Feist (Burns 2000) was honored for her article "Der nächste Einsatz (The Next Deployment)," published in the August edition of Germany's Emotion magazine. The story covered two American soldiers who lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan; and subsequently competed at the Paralympics in Beijing. Peter Wagner (Burns 2007) received the mention for "Meine Jagd nach dem Autogramm von Obama (My Quest for the Autograph of Obama)," a humorous piece that ran on jetzt.de, the youth page of Süddeutsche Zeitung, on October 27, 2008. Michael Giglio (Burns 2008) received an honorary mention for "Americans Deported to Frankfurt," a rarely covered story about the fate of Americans stranded in Germany, which ran in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung during his fellowship there last summer.

The Arthur F. Burns Award 2007 for the best German article goes to Michael Weißenborn, editor at Stuttgarter Zeitung, for his series “Texas Privat”, which was published in autumn and winter 2007. Weißenborn covers as disparate themes as the private purchase of weapons, Indian reservations, the problems evolving around the frontier to Mexico and typically American Christmas celebrations. His articles are far more than simple representations of contemporary life in America. They are brilliant essays with a strong sense for personal commitment that offer some profound analysis of US society, its deeply-rooted traditions and recent challenges.

The award for the best American contribution in 2007 goes to James Hagengruber who has worked for the daily newspaper Spokesman Review in Spokane, Washington, until very recently. His reportage “Boom! Du bist tot!”  (Boom! You are dead!) was published in Süddeutsche Zeitung on 6th November 2007 as well as in Spokesman Review. He accompanied a couple of 19-year-old twin brothers from Idaho on their way to become US-marines. Thanks to his clear-cut style and an ample body of research, Hagengruber brings across the causes of young Americans’ fascination for the war in Iraq. He carefully avoids quoting common stereotypes of popular opinion about this issue, but gives a sensitive and impressive portrayal of two American adolescents at the crossroads. Hagengruber has recently continued his journalistic work about the twins and has joined them during their participation in military campaigns in Kuwait and Iraq.

Both awards are endowed with price money of 2000 €.

The members of the jury want to express their special appreciation to Christian Rüttger (Reuters, Berlin) for his article “The Long Haul”, which was published in Anchorage Daily News on 14th October 2007, and  to Tanya Schevitz (San Francisco Chronicle) whose series “Eine Amerikanerin im Allgäu” (An American in the Allgaeu) was published weekly during August and September 2007 in Allgäuer Zeitung. While Rüttger explores the dangers and temptations that truck drivers have to face during their 414-mile ride along Dalton Highway in the depths of the Alaskan tundra, Schevitz, an urban single, mother of a child and passionate car driver, describes her various impressions of life in the rural widths of the Allgaeu. The contributions of both authors, who were non-locals and could thus write more frankly and unbiasedly about regional traditions and taboos, raised lively public debate among their readers who were expressing their opinions in numerous letters and e-mails to the editor.

Downloads (in German language):
Jacob Heilbrunn's article series "Texas Privat" (20 Artikel) (.pdf, 4,3 MB),
Wochenendbeilage of Stuttgarter Zeitung
Article "Boom! Du bist tot!" vom James Hagengruber (.pdf, 0,15k)
published at www.jetzt.de (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Article series "Eine Amerikanerin im Allgäu" von Tanya Schevitz (.pdf, 1,4 MB)
published in Allgäuer Zeitung