Evan Osnos, the Chicago Tribune’s Beijing bureau chief was awarded the Osborn Elliot Journalism Prize from the Asia Society. Jonathan Watts, the Guardian’s Beijing correspondent, was awarded an honorable mention. The press release for the award says:
In announcing the award, Mr. Pearlstine praised Mr. Osnos for his tenacity in traveling to the far corners of Asia”the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, the grasslands of Inner Mongolia and the oil-rich steppe of Kazakhstan”to piece together untold stories and unimaginable consequences of U.S. demand for low-cost goods. For example, Osnos meticulously documented how hunger for inexpensive cashmere sweaters has triggered overgrazing, fueling dust storms from China’s Alashan Plateau heavy enough to carry air pollution back to U.S. consumers. [Full text]
Osnos’ series, which contains video and photos, can be seen here.
