2013 Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration

Reporter exposed IRS payment of billions to illegal aliens

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 6, 2013) - The Center for Immigration Studies has presented its annual Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration to Bob Segall, a senior investigative reporter at WTHR TV in Indianapolis. The award, inaugurated in 1997, is intended to promote informed and fair reporting on this contentious and complicated issue.

In 2012, Mr. Segall exposed fraud and mismanagement within the Internal Revenue Service that allowed illegal aliens to receive billions of dollars in improper tax credits and refunds. For a decade, managers within the agency encouraged tax examiners to ignore this fraud. Mr. Segall’s eleven-part series drew more than 9 million viewers and resulted in congressional action to reform the system.

The honoree’s work spans a variety of issues and is widely recognized. He has been honored with a national Emmy, more than two dozen regional Emmys, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the DuPont-Columbia Award (considered one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism). He is also a two-time recipient of the Peabody Award and several other honors.

The keynote speaker at the luncheon was journalist Mickey Kaus, author of Kausfiles, one of the first political blogs, started in 1999. Mr. Kaus has written for Newsweek, the New Republic, and Washington Monthly, and now blogs regularly at the Daily Caller. Mr. Kaus highlighted the many flaws of mass amnesty and outlined reasons why the political left should be calling for the enforcement of immigration law, rather than supporting the Gang of Eight immigration bill.