Tuesday, June 6, 2017

The Charles Smith Blog Award; (June 6, 2017): Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran: News 12; Arizona: For 'Raked over the Coals.'...Her intensive probe into the Phoenix Fire Department's highly touted arson squad - a unit which was more interested in boasting about its arson clearance rates but arrested and accused innocent people of fires which were not intentionally set. (The series was headed; "Raked over the coals; Helping vindicate those falsely accused; An investigation that spanned more than two years, prompting significant change within the Phoenix Fire Department.)...This is what public service award-winning investigative journalism is all about:" HL;


AWARD: The Charles Smith Blog Award: Presented to Chief Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran, 12 News for her intensive probe into the Phoenix Fire Department's highly touted arson squad -  a unit which was more interested in boasting about its arson clearance rates but arrested and accused innocent people of fires which were not intentionally set.  (The series was headed; "Raked over the coals; Helping vindicate those falsely accused; An investigation that spanned more than two years, prompting significant change within the Phoenix Fire Department.)  What's more, Halloran introduced her readers to  lithe arson investigators who were insistent their arson sniffing dog (Sadie) was better than science - a  secret weapon who never gets it wrong. Halloran also deserves recognition for exposing the cases innocent people who had  been wrongly accused of arson because of the  squad's malevolence.  Kudos also to  12 News for unleashing  Halloran on this costly, labour-intensive, time-consuming investigation.  This is what public service award-winning investigative  journalism is all about:  Bravo! 

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog. 

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See the entire series  at the link below:  

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=120008354894645705#editor/target=post;postID=7164094405723328220;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=6;src=link


ORIGIN OF THE CHARLES SMITH BLOG AWARD:  I launched the award in 2009 as a forum in which I could honour these individuals who help  expose and remedy miscarriages of justice caused anywhere in the world by flawed pathology, flawed pathologists, junk science, pseudo-experts or a combination of any of the above.

UNUSUAL NATURE: This award is entirely virtual. There is no no ceremony; There is no prize; There is no certificate. It is a pure and unadulterated honour bestowed by myself as publisher in recognition of contributions  by others to this important facet of criminal justice.


RECIPIENTS TO DATE;

0: Kevin Morgan (AUSTRALIA): author of "Gun Alley: Murder, Lies and Failure of Justice, who single-handedly fought for and obtained the forensic materials which led to Colin Ross's pardon almost ninety years after he was executed.

0:
Michael Hall (U.S.A.): For his excellent work in Texas Monthly exposing the miscarriages of justice that have occurred as a result of scent-lineups and the "experts" who conduct them, and

0:
Sun-Sentinel reporter Paula McMahon (U.S.A.) for her ground-breaking reporting over a nine year period which led to the freeing and exoneration of Anthony Caravella.

O:
Journalist Stewart Cockburn (AUSTRALIA) for his ground-breaking work in "The Advertiser" which exposed the miscarriage of justice suffered by Ted Splatt and triggered the Royal Commission which led to Splatt's exoneration.

0:
Australian scientist Tom Mann (AUSTRALIA) for his sterling efforts to publicize the injustice perpetrated on Ted Splatt in the courts including the publication of "Flawed Forensics: The Ted Splatt case and Stewart Cockburn," a monumental book which demonstrates the tragic consequences which can unfold when science gets twisted out of proportion in the courts and those entrusted with the task of protecting our criminal justice system abdicate their responsibilities.

0:
New Yorker staff writer David Grann (U.S.A.)for his awesome exposee of the faulty arson "science" that resulted in the wrongful conviction and execution in Texas of Cameron Todd Willingham. (Photo: David Grann);

0:
Pamela Colloff (U.S.A) for her Texas Monthly stories which resulted in the freeing of Anthony Graves within 30 days of the appearance of her first story. Anthony Graves was convicted and sentenced to die in 1994 for six horrific murders in the Central Texas town of Somerville.

0:
Spencer Hsu (U.S.A) for his  revelations in the Washington Post  that for years, the U.S. Department of Justice has known that flawed forensic work by FBI experts may have led to the convictions of innocent people, but prosecutors rarely told defendants or their attorneys. Hsu discovered that Justice Department officials began reviewing cases after defense attorneys pointed out problems with evidence coming out of FBI labs. But the review was limited. "As a result," Hsu wrote, "hundreds of defendants nationwide remain in prison or on parole for crimes that might merit exoneration, a retrial or a retesting of evidence using DNA because FBI hair and fiber experts may have misidentified them as suspects."

O:
Robert Moles and Bibi Sangha. (AUSTRALIA) 
for their monumental campaign to persuade South Australia to establish a statutory right of appeal - and the impact this will have on remedying miscarriages of justice caused by flawed forensic science.  

Journalist Mike White: NEW ZEALAND:  For his investigation of the Mark Lundy case - and his exposure to the public of the many factors which made clear that Lundy could not have committed the terrible crimes. Wikipedia informs us that: "In 2009 'North and South Magazine' published the results of an investigation into the case by Mike White entitled, "The Lundy murders: What the jury didn't hear."

O: To Dr. Waney Squier (UK) and Meryl and Susan Goldsmith (USA) respectively for their courage and fearlessness in challenging the validity of the 'shaken baby syndrome' - in spite of the threat posed to their professional status, their reputations and their ability to perform and display their work by the Syndrome's zealous proponents in the medical profession and prosecutor's offices. 


PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.