Kari Lydersen wins Studs Terkel Award

Lydersen

Dart Society member Kari Lydersen has won the 2011 Studs Terkel Community Media Award for her work covering the people and issues of Chicago.

“It feels great to get the recognition, because the journalism community in Chicago is a diverse community with many media outlets,” said Lydersen, a 2010 Dart Center Ochberg Fellow.  ”People have that old-fashioned fire-in-the-belly attitude for journalism.  They still think that it can change the world, and Studs Terkel was the grandfather of this kind of thinking. ”

Sponsored by the Community Media Workshop, The Terkel Awards honor excellence in the coverage of Chicago’s diverse communities — specifically by bringing the voices of ordinary people to mainstream attention. Other winners this year are Linda Lenz, founder and publisher of The Catalyst Chicago, Antonio Olivo, reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and Devin Katayama, freelance reporter and producer.

A long-time reporter for The Washington Post’s Chicago bureau, Lydersen says she is inspired by the stories of ordinary people. Lydersen also reports on immigration and environmental issues as well as civil-rights issues. She says on her website she “aims to highlight the connections between these issues and put a ‘human face’ on policy and economic debates.”

The award recognizes journalism that promotes diversity, community, and social justice, Lydersen said. “The Dart Society also promotes all these things and contact with the society and the fellows I’ve met has given me strength and been inspirational — a lot like the Chicago journalists.”

The awards will be presented on March 9th at the Claudia Cassidy Theater & G.A.R. Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center. Purchase tickets for the event here.