Judges' Comments
	"Foskett’s reporting is engrossing and revelatory. As we read his long pieces on Clarence Thomas, we were struck by how no word, no detail seemed superfluous. In a word, wow! All became part of a sweeping portrait."
	The Clarence Thomas You Don't Know Dying in Darkness

How do you write a story about a man who doesn’t want to be written about? And how do you do justice to him?

Ken Foskett answers these questions convincingly with "The Clarence Thomas You Don’t Know," a three-part series that marked the 10th anniversary of Thomas’ nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Foskett crafted a series of remarkably detailed articles that uncovered the private side of the Supreme Court justice, explored the impact of segregation and the Civil Rights movement on him, and explained his judicial philosophy.

Foskett employed perhaps the oldest tools of good journalism: a million miles of legwork and a stubborn commitment to get the story. He interviewed more than 100 people, including the man who once sold Thomas a 40-foot touring bus.

In addition to explaining a famous man who insisted on privacy, Foskett on another assignment gave voice to people who have not been heard.

In 1997, Georgia became aggressive about moving mentally retarded people out of institutions and into community settings. Since then, at least 163 of those people have died, their deaths largely ignored by the system that was meant to take care of them.

Foskett, who worked on the story with reporter Ann Hardie, learned that most of the deaths had been unexpected, yet were never properly investigated. About half died before their 40th birthdays.

Immediately following publication, Georgia’s new commissioner of human resources dispatched 175 inspectors to conduct face-to-face evaluations of 3,141 Georgians with mental retardation. Twenty-five people were moved because of immediate concerns about their safety, and 218 more were found to be receiving unacceptable care.

The state also promised to reform its system of reporting and investigating suspicious deaths and is working on legislation to reform the community-based care system.

At Yale, Foskett studied U.S. social history in the 19th Century, "primarily the history of child and social welfare organizations," he recalled. He also began exercising his strong altruistic bent, serving as a Head Start volunteer in New Haven. After graduation, he joined the organization Save the Children in Zambia.

"I was based in the capitol of Lusaka and worked in three program areas. One was along the Zambezi River, another in the Eastern part of the country. I also did some work in Mozambique."

That sparked his journalism interest.

"I had a great experience over in Africa, and I think my feeling was I would be happiest if I could be writing about what I was experiencing," he said. "I decided to go to journalism school and become a foreign correspondent."

At Columbia Journalism School, he wrote his major graduate article on AIDS care in New York City hospitals. He also reported for the newspaper Bronx Beat, covering issues in the borough. After graduation, he joined the Journal-Constitution in May 1989.