Dougherty Honored

New Times staff writer John Dougherty is the winner of a 2006 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for his series "Polygamy in Arizona."

A 14-year New Times veteran, Dougherty will be awarded the medal for non-daily publications, along with a $1,000 prize, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on September 7.

There was no runner-up in the non-daily category for the medal, awarded each year by the Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families. Jonathan Kaminsky, a freelancer for Village Voice Media's East Bay Express, received an honorable mention.

In awarding the prize to Dougherty, the judges said New Times' "commitment to covering -- and uncovering -- the story of how a sect of fundamentalist Mormon polygamists took over a town didn't just make for compelling reading, it was important work, revealing shockingly widespread sexual abuse, pedophilia and misuse of public funds that had gone on for years.

"This body of work shows lots of shoe-leather and determination. Authorities looked the other way and probably would have continued to do so, had it not been for the newspaper's comprehensive, persistent and passionate coverage. It was a tough story to get, and New Times should be applauded for stepping in where authorities failed to go."