Eight Young Journalists to Watch

Last night’s Phillips Foundation dinner wasn’t only about Rupert Murdoch (even though he was the man everyone came to see). The real stars last night were the eight recipients of the Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellowship Awards.

Judging from the work of past winners—a full list is available from the Phillips Foundation—this year’s recipients are likely to be stars of their own in years to come. Some already have made a name for themselves, while others will use the awards to have a positive impact on journalism.

Here is the list of winners (followed by a bio, size of the award and project):

• Paulette Chu, 25, a general assignment business and financial reporter at AP in New York ($50,000): “Home of the Brave—How the World’s Refugees Become American Patriots.”
• Meghan Keane, 26, deputy culture editor at the New York Sun ($50,000): “Shameless—How America Lost Its Sense of Decency and How to Get It Back.”
• Shawn Macomber, 30, a freelance journalist living in Massachusetts ($50,000): “Another Worthy Victim: Preaching Class War Lite to the Bourgeoisie.”
• Laura Vanderkam, 27, a freelance writer in New York ($50,000): “Full Court Press: The 25-Year Battle to Win the Judiciary.”
• Brendan Conway, 27, an editorial writer at the Washington Times and associate editor at Doublethink magazine ($25,000): “Running from Iraq, the Use and Abuse of War Veterans in the Coming Election and Beyond.”
• Duncan Currie, 24, a reporter at The Weekly Standard ($25,000): “Seizure Salad: The Revolution—and Counterrevolution—in Eminent Domain Law.”
• Carrie Sheffield, 23, a staff writer at The Hill newspaper ($25,000): “Latter-day Saints in the Policy Arena—The Political Influence and Climate of Modern Mormonism.”
• Isaac Wolf, 22, a senior at the University of Chicago where he served as news editor of the Chicago Maroon ($9,000): “America’s Efforts to Replace Petroleum as the Transportation Industry’s Main Fuel Source.”