David Kestenbaum, a freelance writer in Chicago, received the 1997 Evert Clark Award, an annual prize for young science journalists, at the 1998 annual banquet of the National Association of Science Writers in Philadelphia. The award and its $1000 prize was given for an entry of four stories: “Surprising New Particle Appears, Or on the Other Hand, Maybe Not,” in the New York Times; “Sand Castles and Cocktail Nuts,” in the New Scientist; “Cold Fusion-Science or Religion?” in R&D Magazine; and “Countdown to Chaos”, in the New Scientist. The panel of judges cited Kestenbaum for his imaginative, wide-ranging topics, as well as for stylish, witty writing that clearly explained difficult scientific subjects.
The Fund also announced that the award is changing its name. Beginning with the 1998 prize, it will be known as the Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award. The new name will honor the memory of Seth Payne, a long-time friend and colleague of Mr. Clark’s at Business Week and a founder of the Clark award. Mr. Payne died in 1997.
The judges also awarded an honorable mention to Michelle Malkin, a columnist at the Seattle Times for four columns on junk science and dubious health fads: “Few rewards for journalists who debunk health scares”; “The patients are victimized when bullies corrupt science”; “Unhealthy trend: junking hard science for sensitivity”; and “The immense popularity of glorified pond scum.” The judging panel was “pleased and delighted” by her willingness to take junk science—and the media—to task.
Judges for the 1997 award were Bob Meyers, president of the National Press Foundation; Richard A. Kerr, science writer at Science magazine; Susan Milius of Science News; Traci Watson from USA Today; and physicist Robert L. Park of the American Physical Society.