On Friday night, Ms. magazine was awarded the Maggie Award for Best Feature Article/Consumer from the Western Publishing Association, which represents the publishing industry west of the Mississippi River. The feature was chosen from among 10 finalists in the category.
The award was given for the article in the Spring 2010 issue of the magazine, “Not a Lone Wolf,” written by Amanda Robb. The article lays out in detail the interconnection between Scott Roeder, who murdered Wichita abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in 2009, and a network of anti-abortion extremists.
Robb has a personal connection to the topic: her own uncle, abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian, was murdered by anti-abortion extremist James Kopp in 1998. In addition to multiple in-person and telephonic interviews of Roeder, Robb’s article utilizes a wealth of research gathered over the years by the Feminist Majority Foundation about the network of extremists who promote the murder of doctors and their use of violence against abortion providers.
In accepting the award, Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, noted the impact the article has had on the way news media reports on anti-abortion violence and the interconnection between anti-abortion extremists.
