Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous, along with the Center for Media and Democracy, are co-winners of this year’s Izzy Award for Special Achievement in Independent Media. The Izzy Award is named after legendary maverick journalist I.F. Stone, who launched I.F. Stone’s Weekly in 1953 and exposed government deception, McCarthyism and racial bigotry. Click here to see Democracy Now’s 2009 special on I.F. Stone.

Sharif is honored for his reporting on the Egyptian revolution. In a statement, the Park Center for Independent Media said, “With breathtaking bravery, Sharif’s unflinching on-the-street reporting simultaneously brought us the voices and faces of Egyptians, the drama of the moment and big-picture analysis — sometimes while tear gas or live rounds exploded in the background.” Click here to see all of Democracy Now’s reports on Egypt.

The Center for Media and Democracy is cited for its exposure of how the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council is shaping pro-corporate legislation across the country. Click here to see our interview with the Center’s Lisa Graves about the ALEC and the Koch Brothers connection.