According to the Scripps Howard Foundation, David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, is the joint winner of the 2004 Roy W. Howard Award trophy for public service reporting:
PUBLIC SERVICE REPORTING - Under 100,000 circulationArgus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D. (Stu Whitney and David Kranz). The newspaper will receive $5,000 and the Roy W. Howard Award trophy.
The Argus Leader won for a series of stories that examined former South Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow’s liberal and questionable use of his executive powers to pardon convicted criminals and commute sentences. Judges said, "The Argus Leader’s dogged pursuit of the extent and nature of secret gubernatorial pardons is an outstanding example of public service journalism. As a result of their efforts, the public’s right to know has been broadened in the best tradition of a determined free press.”
Congratulations to Dave Kranz for winning this honor. Of course, the public's right to know does not stop at the newsroom door. The public also deserves to know whether Kranz has collaborated with various Democratic campaigns and politicians throughout the years in his capacity as a purportedly unbiased journalist.
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