Washington Post’s Shih honored with Osborn Elliott Journalism award

Gerry Shih, China correspondent at The Washington Post, has won the 2020 Osborn Elliott Award for Excellence in Journalism on Asia for his wide-ranging and penetrating coverage of China, reports The Post.

His stories were reported over the course of 2019 on a wide range of topics. He also covered stories which included damage caused by a chemical disaster in Xiangshui County.

The jury stated:

“Gerry Shih’s reporting on China epitomizes the clarion role of independent journalists in a tightly controlled, technologically empowered authoritarian state. He explored important topics Beijing is in no hurry to publicize, from its quiet military encroachment in central Asia to the state’s suffocation of the Hui people and culture. He lifted above the single-minded din of economic growth the voices of people who have surrendered their health, their homes and their access to the world in exchange for development of mega-cities, globalized industry, and a rigidly policed, digital society.”

Previously, Shih covered China as a correspondent for The Associated Press. Before that, he wrote about Silicon Valley and California politics for Reuters and The New York Times.

Shih is a graduate of Stanford University.

The award-winning journalist will be honored at a discussion and awards ceremony held virtually on May 19.