Alix M. Freedman

Alix Marian Freedman (born November 25, 1957 New York City[1]) is an American journalist, and ethics editor at Thomson Reuters.[2]

Alix Marian Freedman
Born (1957-11-25) November 25, 1957
EducationHarvard University
EmployerThomson Reuters
TitleGlobal editor for ethics and standards
Awards1996 Pulitzer Prize Winner

Freedman was raised in New York City, where she attended the Chapin School before graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy (1975). She graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in history and literature.[2][3][4]

She is the recipient of several awards including the Pulitzer Prize and the Gerald Loeb Award.[1] Freedman received the George Polk Award in 1999, making her family the first to have two generations to win the award. Her father, Emanuel R. Freedman, had won the Polk award in 1956. Her husband, Scot J. Paltrow, won the Polk award in 1993.[5][6]

Career

Freedman gained her first experience in journalism writing articles for her school newspapers, first a few articles for The Exonian, at Phillips Exeter and then for the The Harvard Crimson.[4] At the time, she "didn't see herself continuing in journalism," even though her father, Emanuel Freedman, was a journalist.[4] However, she did go into journalism.

In 1979, she was hired as a news assistant at The New York Times and worked there until 1982. In 1983 she worked as a staff reporter for BusinessWeek magazine until leaving in 1984 to work for The Wall Street Journal. Freedman spent 27 years with The Wall Street Journal, first with the Philadelphia bureau, (from 1984 to 1987) and then for the New York bureau, from (1987 to 2011). During her time with the Journal, she was awarded three Loeb awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Polk award. In 2011 she left to become the global editor for ethics and standards at Reuters.[1][7][8][9]

Coverage of the tobacco industry

During her time at the New York bureau, Freedman reported extensively on the tobacco industry. In 1993 Freedman and a colleague were awarded the Front Page Award for specialized writing for "Smoke and Mirrors: How Cigarette Makers Keep Health Questions 'Open' Year After Year."[1][10]

As the tobacco industry continued to face more scrutiny, Freedman reported on a libel lawsuit, seeking 10 billion dollars, filed by Phillip Morris against ABC television and its owner Capital Cities Inc. The suit was filed over the word spiked, used in the broadcast story, referring to nicotine being added back to tobacco during the production process. Her story, "Tar Wars: Philip Morris is Putting TV Journalism on Trial in its suit against ABC," reported on the lawsuit and how the tobacco company was spending a million dollars a month for 20 attorneys in their fight against ABC. Capital Cities, having earnings of just 6.4 billion in 1994, settled with Phillip Morris, printing a public apology and paying 15 million to cover the tobacco companies legal fees.[11][12]

Freedman was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her continued coverage of the tobacco industry. In one of those reports, "Phillip Morris Memo Likens Nicotine to Cocaine," she wrote about a 15-page confidential internal document that pointed to the tobacco companies knowledge of the addictive nature of their product. The report explained that nicotine "'travels to the brain about eight to 10 seconds after a smoker inhales," "altering the state of the smoker.'"[13][14]

The series of stories leading up to her Pulitzer are listed below:

  • " FTC Will Overhaul Tar and Nicotine Ratings," The Wall Street Journal, October 18, 1995[10][15]
  • "Phillip Morris Memo Likens Nicotine to Cocaine," The Wall Street Journal, December 8 , 1995 [10][14]
  • "Full Text: Philip Morris Cos. draft report," The Wall Street Journal, December 8, 1995[10]
  • "Full Text: Patent Search," The Wall Street Journal, December 8 , 1995[10]
  • "'Impact Booster': Tobacco Firm Shows How Ammonia Spurs Delivery of Nicotine, '" The Wall Street Journal, December 28, 1995[10][16]

In 1998 Freedman, and Suein Hwang, shared the Gerald Loeb Award (deadline and/beat writing), for coverage of the tobacco industry's liability settlement.[17]

Coverage of quinacrine and chemical sterilization

In 1998 Freedman wrote a series of stories on the chemical sterilization using quinacrine pellets, of more than one hundred thousand women, who lived in poor developing countries. Many of these sterilization procedures were unwanted, or done without their understanding and consent. She did extensive interviews with Stephen D Mumford, president of the Center for Research on Population, before traveling to Vietnam, where she was detained, and nearly arrested. She left after having her notes confiscated.[18][19]

Although she didn't plan on it, "Population Bomb," had a global impact. The company that manufactured quinacrine, Siparm Sesseln AG, of Switzerland, discontinued production of the drug, and sterilization procedures, using the drug, were banned in Chile and India.[19]

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration sent letters to Mumford, warning him to cease distribution of the drug to any U.S. facilities, and to destroy their stockpile in North Carolina. Mumford shipped his stockpile of quinacrine out of the U.S. before the pellets could be destroyed and informed the FDA that he would no longer ship any of the drug to researchers in the United States.[20][21]

The series of reports were published in June and August, 1998. The stories are listed below.

  • "Population Bomb," The Wall Street Journal, Alix M. Freedman, June 18, 1998[18]
  • "Two American Contraceptive Researchers Export Sterilization Drug to Third World," The Wall Street Journal, Alix M. Freedman, June 18, 1998[22]
  • "India Bans Quinacrine Sterilization of Women," The Wall Street Journal, Alix M. Freedman and Jonathan Karp, August 1998[23]
  • " FDA Tells Two Researchers to Stop Distribution of Drug for Sterilization, " The Wall Street Journal, Alix M. Freedman, October, 1998[24]

A CBS, 60 Minutes segment was broadcast on October 18, 1998, reporting on the use of quinacrine.[25]

In a 1999 article, published by the American Journalism Review, Freedman said she told Mumford that she would "give a fair and honest assessment of the method" that he was such a strong advocate of, and she did. Freedman leaves the reader to decide what they think when reading her reports saying "I don't believe you should be a hostage to your own views."[19]

Mumford was convinced the FDAs actions were an "abuse of authority" and were the result of a smear campaign and conspiracy theories.[21]

Freedman was awarded the George Polk Award, and named as a finalist for the Pulitzer prize for her reporting on quinacrine and chemical sterilization.[19]

Awards
  • 1993 Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers, The Wall Street Journal, for "Fire Power," a series of stories about low-priced handguns and the family who dominated the market[26]
  • 1993 Front Page Award for specialized writing, presented by the Newswomen's Club of New York, (with Laurie Cohen), The Wall Street Journal,for "Smoke and Mirrors: How Cigarette Makers Keep Health Question 'Open' Year After Year."[10]
  • 1996 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, The Wall Street Journal, for coverage of the tobacco industry[27][13]
  • 1998 Gerald Loeb Award for Deadline and/or Beat Writing, (with Suein L. Hwang),The Wall Street Journal, for coverage of the tobacco industry[17]
  • 1998 Investigative Reporters an Editors Certificate, (large newspapers), for "Population Bomb," Wall Street Journal, for coverage of chemical sterilization[28]
  • 1999 George Polk Award for International Reporting, Wall Street Journal, for stories on the sterilization of women in the third world, often without their consent [5][29]
  • 2004 Matrix Award, Association for Women in Communications[30]
  • 2010 Gerald Loeb Minard Editor Award [31][32]

References
  1. Fischer, Heinz Dietrich; Fischer, Erika J. (2002). Complete Biographical Encyclopedia of Pulitzer Prize Winners, 1917-2000: Journalists, Writers and Composers on Their Ways to the Coveted Awards. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-598-30186-5.
  2. "Leadership Team". Reuters News Agency. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  3. "The Chapin School: The Alumnae Presence at Chapin". www.chapin.edu. Retrieved Sep 18, 2020.
  4. See PDF, p.89. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2013-01-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Journal, Dean StarkmanStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1999-03-10). "Journal Reporter Alix M. Freedman Is Among Winners of a Polk Award". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  6. "Emanuel R. Freedman, 60, Dies; Editor on The Times Since 1948". The New York Times. 1971-01-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  7. "Alix M. Freedman | Writer Page | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-10-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Kat Stoeffel (September 7, 2011). "Wall Street Journal Page One Editor Alix Freedman Named Reuters Ethics Editor". New York Observer.
  10. The Pulitzer Prizes. "Alix M. Freedman of The Wall Street Journal". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  11. "Tobacco Industry Giant Takes on ABC". www.ndsn.org. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  12. "ABC Settles Lawsuit with Philip Morris". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  13. The Pulitzer Prizes. "1996 Pulitzer Prizes Journalism". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  14. "Philip Morris Memo Describes Cigarettes as Nicotine "Delivery Devices," Nicotine as "Similar" to Cocaine". www.ndsn.org. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  15. "FTC Will Overhaul Tar and Nicotine Ratings". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  16. Journal, Alix M. FreedmanStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1995-10-19). "Brown & Williamson Papers Disclose How Ammonia Spurs Nicotine Delivery". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  17. "Winners and Finalists in Loeb Competition Announced". The Write News. May 19, 1998. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  18. "Winners of George Polk Awards for Journalism". www.newswise.com. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  19. "Embracing the Complexities | American Journalism Review". 2012-06-01. Archived from the original on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  20. Journal, Alix M. FreedmanStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1998-10-19). "FDA Tells Two Researchers to Stop Distribution of Drug for Sterilization". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  21. "Mumford Evades FDA: Quinacrine Sterilization Advocate Relocates Stockpile 'Abroad'". PRI. 1999-02-01. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  22. Journal, Alix M. FreedmanStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1998-06-18). "Two American Contraceptive Researchers Export Sterilization Drug to Third World". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  23. Journal, Jonathan Karp and Alix M. FreedmanStaff Reporters of The Wall Street (1998-08-18). "India Bans Quinacrine Sterilization Of Women, Halting Major Market". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  24. Journal, Alix M. FreedmanStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (1998-10-19). "FDA Tells Two Researchers to Stop Distribution of Drug for Sterilization". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  25. "60 Minutes" Second Chance/A Million Men, Women and Children/Quinacrine (TV Episode 1998) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-09-21
  26. "Media & Entertainment". Los Angeles Times. May 19, 1993. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  27. Heinz Dietrich Fischer; Erika J. Fischer (2002). Complete biographical encyclopedia of Pulitzer Prize winners, 1917-2000. Walter de Gruyter. p. 75. ISBN 978-3-598-30186-5.
  28. "1998 IRE Award winners". IRE. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  29. "Past Polk Winners | Long Island University". liu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  30. Wyeth, Deirdre. "Matrix Awards Hall of Fame". NYWICI. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  31. "Career Achievement Awards". UCLA Anderson School of Management. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  32. "2010 Gerald Loeb Award Finalists Announced by UCLA Anderson School of Management". www.businesswire.com. 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2020-09-18.

Further reading
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