Journalists from The Associated Press who uncovered extensive slave labor in the Thai seafood industry have won an investigative reporting prize from Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center.
The media and public policy research center bestowed the $25,000 Goldsmith Prize to Margie Mason, Robin McDowell, Martha Mendoza and Esther Htusan this week for their work on "Seafood from Slaves."
An expose by The Associated Press last year found Thai companies ship seafood to the U.S. that was caught and processed by trapped and enslaved workers. As a result of the reports, more than 2,000 trapped fishermen have been rescued, more than a dozen alleged traffickers arrested and millions of dollars’ worth of seafood and vessels seized.
Thomas E. Patterson, the center’s interim director, called the series "investigative journalism at its best."
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