Every year, The New York Public Library gives the Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism to a journalist whose work brings clarity and public attention to important issues, events, or policies. I have the pleasure of introducing one of our five 2019 finalists, The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy by Anna Clark.

"Inequality was built into their very foundations"

In The Poisoned City, Anna Clark draws a line from America’s history of unjust urban policy-making to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Though the contemporary tragedy began in 2014, when Michigan state officials rerouted and inadvertently tainted Flint’s water supply, Clark illustrates how this fateful decision was the direct result of America’s long history of red-lining and pro-business policymaking.

Clark’s dedicated reporting and skillful synthesis of her sources make this one of our top Bernstein Book Award contenders. The Poisoned City provides a platform for the doctors, activists, and citizens who first uncovered and fought against the unfolding tragedy to share their perspectives and stories. Clark supplements her firsthand reporting with a wealth of historical records, medical studies, legal depositions, and local news reports—brought together here for the first time—that provide a context for the forces of inequality and disinvestment that collided in Flint.

Ultimately, Clark's book is a warning to every American citizen. By drawing attention to the precariousness of our nation’s infrastructure and the callousness of our institutions, Clark makes clear that Flint’s tragedy could repeat itself in any city. However, by shining a light on Flint residents’ grassroots campaign to save their city, Clark provides us with a template for advocacy on a national level.

See all five 2019 Bernstein Awards finalists.
 

More about the Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism

The Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism was established by The New York Public Library in 1987 in honor of journalist Helen Bernstein Fealy. Each year, finalists for are selected by a nine-member Library Review Committee. Winners are then chosen by a separate Bernstein Selection Committee. Eligible books are published in calendar year 2018 and the author must be currently working as a journalist, or someone who has worked in journalism for a significant portion of his or her career, whether as a reporter or commentator in newspapers, magazines, or broadcasting, i.e. print, broadcast, or online journalism. The book's subject matter must be journalistic in nature, with potential for influencing public opinion or policy, and draws public attention to important current issues or events of global/national significance.