MIAMI, FL--The Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) is pleased to present its Eleventh Annual Media Awards at 12:00 on Friday, April 5th at the Newman Alumni Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, at the CCF annual conference, Immigrant Families as They Really Are. The media awards honor outstanding journalism that contributes to the public understanding of contemporary family issues. Honorees are invited to speak for five minutes on emerging issues affecting American families and how CCF members and supporters can help the media cover these stories effectively.

A 2013 Award for Print Coverage of Family Issues goes to Ada Calhoun for “Mommy Had to Go Away for a While,” which appeared in the New York Times Magazine and ran online as “The Criminalization of Bad Mothers.” The story explored the “chemical endangerment” prosecutions of mothers in Alabama who did drugs while pregnant within the context of the “fetal personhood” movement. Mainstream media were reluctant to cover this complex issue because of its “unsympathetic” subjects. Jurors praised the way that Calhoun’s balanced and solidly researched presentation compels readers to reconsider their biases about pregnant women and the involvement of the criminal justice system in their lives.

Press release here.