NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) — The reporter for Mother Jones magazine who broke the story of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s remarks that 47 percent of Americans “believe they are victims” is among the winners of the 64th annual George Polk Awards in Journalism.
David Corn, Mother Jones’ Washington bureau chief, received the political reporting prize for his work, which shook up the campaign when he reported on the remarks in September. The comments, which served as a turning point in the 2012 campaign, were made at a private fundraiser in early 2012.

LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 08: Former Republican presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and wife Ann Romney sit ringside before Manny Pacquiao takes on Juan Manuel Marquez in their welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 8, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Credit: Getty Images
“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,” Romney could be heard saying in the tape. “All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”
The candidate went on in the tape the decry entitlements and to explain why he doesn’t worry about appealing to those who receive them.
“That, that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax,” Romney continued. “[M]y job is, is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
At the time of the video’s release Mother Jones came under fire for releasing edited versions of the tape (however, the meaning behind Romney’s words wasn’t changed as a result). A separate clip from that same dinner about Middle Eastern peace, though, did seem to be more nuanced than the outlet let on in its coverage.
Watch the infamous 47 percent clip, below:
The awards were announced Monday by Long Island University. Winners also include journalists from Bloomberg News, The New York Times, CBS News, McClatchy Newspapers, GlobalPost, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, the Maine Sunday Telegram, “Frontline,” and the nonprofit California Watch.
Among the top prizes in U.S. journalism, the Polk Awards were created in 1949 in honor of CBS reporter George W. Polk, who was killed while covering the Greek civil war. This year’s awards will be given out April 11.
Stories on China won David Barboza of The New York Times as well as the staff of Bloomberg News the award for foreign reporting. Barboza’s three-part series looked into the financial assets of government officials and their families. Bloomberg News put together a series of stories looking at China’s elites and their wealth.
China was also the subject for an award-winning television news report by CBS News correspondent Holly Williams and cameraman Andrew Portch. They covered Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, who escaped from house arrest to the U.S. embassy in Beijing.
Coverage of Syria won awards for war reporting and video reporting. David Enders, Austin Tice and the staff of McClatchy Newspapers were awarded the war reporting prize for their coverage of the war and its factions. Tracey Shelton of GlobalPost was honored with the video reporting prize for her work showcasing the human impact of the conflict.

Former Republican presidential candiate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney sits ringside fro the Patrick Hyland and Javier Fortuna WBA interim featherweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 8, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Credit: Getty Images
John Hechinger and Janet Lorin of Bloomberg News won the national reporting award for a yearlong series that looked at abuses in the system for financing higher education, while the local reporting award went to Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for reporting on a Milwaukee man who died in police custody after repeatedly telling officers he couldn’t breathe.
Law enforcement’s use of young confidential informants became the subject of a piece by Sarah Stillman of The New Yorker, for which she won the magazine reporting prize.
A 10-month investigation into drug abuse and mismanagement at New Jersey’s privatized halfway houses earned Sam Dolnick of The New York Times the award for justice reporting.
Ryan Gabrielson of California Watch won the state reporting prize for a series looking at how abuse at state clinics was poorly monitored and investigated by the state office responsible for doing so.
The Washington Post’s Peter Whoriskey won the medical reporting award for a series about the practices of the pharmaceutical industry that can be dangerous to patients.
David Barstow of The New York Times, working with Mexican reporter Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab, traveled across Mexico to look at Wal-Mart’s activities and the lengths to which the company’s executives would go to get their goals accomplished. The duo won the business reporting award.
The education reporting award went to Colin Woodard of the Maine Sunday Telegram for reporting how for-profit online education companies are affecting the state’s digital education efforts.
“Frontline” producers Martin Smith and Michael Kirk won the prize for documentary television reporting for a piece looking at the global economic crisis.


















































































































ValidFib
Feb. 19, 2013 at 1:42pmCircle jerks.
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deerjerkydave
Feb. 18, 2013 at 5:35pmIt’s just the New York/DC media patting themselves on the back for a job well done. They succeeding in reelecting their dear leader.
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Jim in Houston
Feb. 18, 2013 at 6:01pmNothing like getting an award for aiding and abetting the destruction of our country.
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Obama_In_PeePee_Is_Becks_Art
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:05pm“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,” Romney could be heard saying in the tape. “All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”
…
“That, that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax,” Romney continued. “[M]y job is, is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
The Progressives(communists) Liberals in the Press tout this, their story, as “one for our side”!
LOL!
Push it right back into the faces of as a badge of courage. It is THE TRUTH. Their self-aggrandizing is only a misdirection — let US instead TRUMPET the FACTS AS STATED:
” ‘Obama Phone’ Tea Party Ad”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkXWqLBTTVg
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Barnesrickw
Feb. 18, 2013 at 4:30pmThey should just post readers comments if they want to know how half of America feels.
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media-bias-steals-elections
Feb. 18, 2013 at 1:52pmRemember the Alamo? Remember the “Wah Wah”? Blame the media bias and selective editing?
Mitt Romney did not resist the temptation to qoute popular media snips that are hard to explain on short notice, and people don’t want to vote out of guilt, they want to vote because they think they are doing something, working toward something?
If you call that “journalism”, your civil rights are doomed?
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Constantine Ivanov
Feb. 18, 2013 at 1:12pmThe mistake Romney made in his “revealed remark” is that it was not 47%, but a lot more.
The problem is not that Romney said it.
The problem is that the MSM and voters reaction to this revelation clearly showed that America can’t stand the Truth.
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DannyM
Feb. 18, 2013 at 11:13amCheck this out: If We’d Elected Mitt Romney – http://pjfusco.com/?p=2091
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spirited
Feb. 18, 2013 at 2:06pmThanks for an opportunity to dream…. and be hopeful.
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toledofan
Feb. 18, 2013 at 9:49amOne thing is very clear, we have a bunch of people, who at the end of the day, have no idea of reality and are deviod of all rational decision making. It’s just remarkable that Obama could even win just because of his handling of the economy and a whole host of other disfunctions, but, it shows how we have allowed ourselves to be lulled to feeling we can live for free and the government will take care of everything. It’s obvious socialism is failing and the main stream media isn’t telling the truth but some people have become so lazy, ill informed and just out of touch. What we are leaving for our grandkids is a disaster.
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AUsername
Feb. 18, 2013 at 9:30amquestion is how much of the population are baby boomers and if that is 47 percent than hes right.
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WCJ
Feb. 18, 2013 at 9:20amMitt Romney is 10 times the man Barack Obama could ever hope to be.
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JRook
Feb. 18, 2013 at 9:36amWhy because he hides his money in 10 countries to avoid paying taxes or because he had enough money to produce 10 times the ads that were based on misinformation and lies. The 47 percent didn’t elect the PRESIDENT. It was the 10% of independents at the margin. You know the group that vote rationally after the ideological zealots on both sides of the isle waste their votes. It was very simple, I was not going to vote for a PRESIDENT who didn’t feel a need to keep his money in the country he sought to be President of and wasn’t going to vote for someone who spent 90% of his time misinforming and lying about the PRESIDENT and only 10% on his own stances and policies. Really no surprise Romney lost.
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prairieprof
Feb. 18, 2013 at 11:10amI am sorry to disagree with you, but Barack O is NOT a man!
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Jim in Houston
Feb. 19, 2013 at 1:24pmJRook: Just what the hell would you know about voting rationally?
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Gladileftcalifornia
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:48amMitt spoke the truth and that was his downfall. Too many Americans need to be lied to.
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DeathRattle
Feb. 18, 2013 at 10:07amLeftCali, you are right. The truth is not acceptable anymore, as a matter of fact truth is now relative. The re-election of Obama proves this out… he lied about everything, accomplished nothing and yet here we are.
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jwpowers41
Feb. 18, 2013 at 10:53amJrook The government takes way too much money from us I do not blame anyone from shoelding
their hard earned money from the goons a the irs the government waste 60% of our tax dollars
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Winedude
Feb. 18, 2013 at 11:28amIf you’re happy that you left California, trust me that most all Californians are even happier that you are gone.
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crazyrightwingmom
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:36amSo how proud this reporter must be that he helped destroy our country by saying nasty things about a really good man.
Good and evil….no difference anymore!!
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denkat56
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:31amThis proves that sneaking a tape recorder into private meetings can have its rewards. Only the liberal , pro Obama media would dare reward this. And yet they ignore Obama’s statements about Israel to Putin, and flexibility he’ll have once reelected. Bengazi, Fast and furious, all the bodies, blood, and lies that this administration has concocted and told. Dirty tactics, from a biased press. As I stated before the truth will come out, it won’t be denied.
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bonesiii
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:29amThe whole thing is so silly. But what choice do liberals have — they have no sound logic to use in furthering their cause. So they have to resort to being offended at someone speaking the truth, treating it as some “secret” that was “exposed”, and then giving themselves rewards as if they made some momentous discovery.
That creates the -emotional- connotation that what Romney said was eeeevil or that he was trying to hide it. Even though he said nothing that informed conservatives hadn’t already pointed out publicly. We don’t have hidden agendas or “secret knowledge” like liberalism, but they HAVE to create the image that we do. Because of inverse accusation syndrome, the universal law that liberals project their own secret sins onto others (even though their issues stem from liberalism primarily). So if we dare say something that’s public knowledge, but choose to say it behind a closed door, suddenly it can be portrayed as hidden.
And they make it about the percent. Well, okay, if he’s wrong about the exact percent, just issue a fact check telling us what the real percent is, lib media. Just as you would with any other politician’s speeches. But they don’t do that — why? Because then they’d have to admit that there’s ANY percent it was true of, and that at the very least he was close, and that this is a serious problem. So “47%” becomes a mindless catchphrase, its meaning converted to “Romney sucks! BAD!”
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dadsrootbeer
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:12amSo we give a dirty journalism award for a secret video of a candidate saying things that are factual. It’s only dirty because it goes against the ideology of the press and the people they represent who are the 47 percenters.
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:38amits really not any different than the James E. O’Keefe videos (acorn, etc). I wouldnt call it dirty journalism – we should all want transparency
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objectivetruth
Feb. 18, 2013 at 11:55amIt was a nasty way of doing things I grant you that.However both sides lose.First off not all who don’t pay income taxes are takers.Many are the working poor.They get the money they put in back as someone in dc laid out the tax laws.Lumping all of the people in together didn’t help Romneys case one bit.I voted for him as I wouldn’t have voted for o for any reason.Didn’t the first nor the second time.I don’t think his running mate was none too happy with him either.Ryan didn’t exactly grow up rich.
Personally I would have rather voted for a different candidate[No not Ron Paul]I however thought if I did I would be helping to reelect obama.Cancelling vote equals vote for obama.I won’t ever do it again.
Personally I didn’t want either one.Romney was ok by me until that piece came out.I then saw what he really thought of the working poor.I lost respect for him right there and then.It does however speak volumes about the fact that they all seem to be out of touch with the american public at large.Rich poor doesn’t matter.They live in a different world than we do.We can’t bring them into reality they sadly must do that on their own.I say sadly as we are the ones paying the price due to their inabilities to see reality.
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:10amyes, there are people who are dependent on government assistance and therefore vote straight democrat….But that number is more like 20-25% and NOT 47%. At least half of the Obama voters were middle class or upper class. Remember that the 47% number includes people on social security and medicare – which are solid republican voters. Also remember that places like mississippi and alabama are at the bottom of the income scale yet vote overwhelmingly republican. Also remember that about half of americans did not vote in 2012 – so they were not attached to a particular party.
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SaturdaysWarrior76
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:01amI suppose, if the President who has caused and facilitated the most political unrest, violence and division in the world (and in America) can win the Nobel “Peace” prize.. Mother Jones’ dirty journalism can also win an award.
Pffffft. Keep your award Mother Jones. It’s meaningless and worthless, and no one cares.
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SpankDaMonkey
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:59am.
I have been a Good Monkey lately I think I need an Award…..
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lessoneleg
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:49amWhat is to be learned from this or these stories? Even in mixed company, never let your defenses down even for a moment. Why? Because we live in an era of stealth video and audio recordings. That even the most inocuous speaking engagements the liberal progressive media will infiltrate a private gathering posing as Service Workers and secretly record private conversations which they will manipulate into a “story” to take down potential conservative speakers.
this is the modern liberal backroom supporter of the Democratic Party. Stage Goons who use modern electronic equipment to slice & dice audio and video information to fit the Grande Plan of taking down opposition.
Then, months later getting an Award for it. Still, conservative leaders are their worst enemy. They are living in a past of expectations of fairness when the modern progressive has no rules of decency at all.
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:05amexactly
camera is the new gun
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Winedude
Feb. 18, 2013 at 11:31amSoy: does that mean that everyone should have a camera to protect themselves?
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:43pm@Winedud
Yes, that would be a good thing. There would be proof of any wrong-doing
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drewpreston
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:44am“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”
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GilbertAcct
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:02amDoes this include Romney, who calls Medicare, Social Security, TARP, indefinite detentions, George Bush, and federal healthcare mandates good?
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drewpreston
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:20amYes it does if he takes someone elses words and skews it into a lie.
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GilbertAcct
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:38amI was more referring to him finding these verifiably evil things to be good.
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:44amit was a pretty devastating revelation for independent voters. That video did what hundreds of millions of advertising dollars could not do
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Gonzo
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:53amYou’re right, it was. Unfortunately Romney was right. Not sure of the exact percentage, but I agree with him in general.
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:04amhe was not right because that 47% includes people on social security and medicare
he was also wrong because only about 55% of the population voted in 2012, which meant he had opportunity to get the other 45% that did not vote and are not attached to a particular party
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lefty5005
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:40amSoy , I disagree. Obama had 47% of the vote period. No amount of advertising dollars was going to change that. The people who voted for Romney were going to vote for him anyway and the 47% statement had no relevance except to maybe reinforce what we already knew. If the few independents out there took that as a smack in the face and voted for Obama we don’t need them anyway because they can’t separate lies from reality anyway. The country is divided pretty much down the middle with a minority of voters who don’t care enough to even register to vote or don’t bother going to the polls. The only thing that will save America now is something so major that it even decimates the Democratic party in the eyes of liberal America because the truth does not change their minds. People like Karl Rove and the elite Republican politico have got to go. They are the problem and should be fired because they don’t know the answers and are not clever enough to beat the Democrats at their own game. Those who cheat, lie, extort and are willing to do anything to win are at a huge advantage over decent people in the first place.
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Gonzo
Feb. 18, 2013 at 8:53amHe was right.
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Gonzo
Feb. 18, 2013 at 10:46amDo you honestly think that a lot of seniors were not frightened by the left’s scare tactics about social security and medicare?
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soybomb315_II
Feb. 18, 2013 at 10:46amWe know what Romney was talking about – he was talking about 47% of America taking more in entitlements than paying in taxes. But not everyone in that category votes and not all the voters in that category vote democrat (ie: poor white people in the south). It is a plain fact that only 55% of americans voted – so saying that “Obama gets 47% no matter what” is completely wrong. You ignore the entire population of America. But nevermind that fact….The other fact is that not all of Obama’s voters are poor people. About half of Obama voters are poor while the other half are middle class and upper class. So really, the number that Romney is talking about is 20 to 25%, which makes him a really bad mathematician and politician
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magnum357
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:30amI would say the takers are above 47% now.
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I SPY
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:20amCongratulations! Here’s your medal of appreciation from the Communist Party.
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Zipit
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:18amWe’re liberals, Ya see! It just doesn’t matter that life in America’s circling the bowl, and headed further down the crapper, giving awards such as this somehow makes us feel better about ourselves! Just imagine how horrible things would be if we had elected the “EVIL” Mitt Romney? George Bush ya know!
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Gonzo
Feb. 18, 2013 at 7:06amAn award for meritorious service to Dear Leader. Did they pin a red star on him?
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