Evanston, Ill., — Jonathan Katz, a reporter at the Associated Press, is the recipient of The 2010 Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism for his in-depth coverage of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

Katz was the only foreign correspondent working in Haiti when the most powerful earthquake in 200 years hit the Caribbean country. Katz ran outside barefoot as his house collapsed, then begged anyone he saw – in English, Creole, Spanish and French – for a cell phone to report the news. As a result, the AP delivered the first news alert to the world about the earthquake.

He would stay in the country in the following months to pursue the truth behind why the recovery process was so slow.

“Jonathan was on the island when the killer quake struck,” said Richard Stolley, one of the Medill Medal judges and founding editor of People Magazine. “He stayed there during severe aftershocks, a deadly cholera epidemic and dangerous political turmoil. And throughout, he filed brilliant stories to AP.

“He defines journalistic courage.”

John Daniszewski, senior managing editor for international and photos at the AP, nominated Katz for the award. In his nomination letter, Daniszewski wrote that Katz pursued the story with great dedication, despite a host of obstacles.

“Food, water, electricity and fuel were scarce, and he stepped around bodies in the streets,” Daniszewski wrote. “Without a house, Katz slept on the bricks outside, where he woke up several times a night as aftershocks pounded his head against the ground. Four of his friends died in the quake.”

Yet Katz remained focused on the story at hand. He held Haitian and international officials responsible for the actions that slowed the recovery process. The head of the government relocation commission stepped down because of Katz’s reporting.

Katz reported that horrible conditions at a United Nations camp led to a deadly cholera outbreak throughout the country. The U.N. denied the reports, but after Katz obtained a report from a French scientist that confirmed the origins of the cholera outbreak, the U.N. stopped its denials and appointed an independent panel to examine the issue.

Jonathan was on the island when the killer quake struck. He stayed there during severe aftershocks, a deadly cholera epidemic and dangerous political turmoil. And throughout, he filed brilliant stories to AP. He defines journalistic courage.” - Richard Stolley, founding editor of People Magazine

Katz earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and American Studies from Northwestern University in 2002. He received his masters in journalism from Medill in 2004.

The Medill Medal is given to the individual or team of journalists, working for a U.S.-based media outlet, who best displayed moral, ethical or physical courage in the pursuit of a story or series of stories. The contest is open to journalists from newspapers, television stations, online news operations, magazines and radio stations. The story subjects may be local, national or international in scope.

The two other finalists for this year’s Medill Medal were Joshua Kors, for his “Disposable Soldiers” piece that ran in The Nation, and Linda Valdez, for her series of editorials that ran in The Arizona Republic opposing the Immigration Law in Arizona.

For more information about the Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism and to view past winners, please visit: http://bit.ly/elEDni.