Best magazine reporting from abroad
Award Year: 1986
Award Name: The Ed Cunningham Award 1986
Recipient: Robert Shaplen
Affiliation: The New Yorker
Honored Work: “A Reporter at Large: from Marcos to Aquino”
In a compelling two-part series, Shaplen reflected on the long history of revolutionary change in the Philippines, culminating in the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos and accession to power of Corazon Aquino. From the deterioration of the Marcos government to the assassination of Mrs. Aquino’s husband, he weighed and assessed the factors that propelled her into office on the tide of an unprecedented “People Power” movement. Shaplen has covered Asia many years for The New Yorker. He calls this his “second liberation” of the Philippines: He was also there when they were retaken from the Japanese in World War II. Shaplen marks his 50th year as a reporter in 1987 – 35 of them with The New Yorker.
Citations for Excellence:
Sheila Rule
The New York Times
“Nothing Prepares You for Apartheid”
Rod Norland and Ray Wilkinson
Newsweek
“America Is Our Target”