Fake Doctors’ Notes Video Report Garners Atlas Award
[Dallas, Texas] Wisconsin’s MacIver Institute has won an award for their reporting of the labor unrest at the State Capitol.MacIver beat out international competition to win the Grand Prize in the ‘Lights Camera, Liberty’ contest, which was presented at The Atlas Experience conference in Dallas, Texas last week.
“We congratulate the leadership and staff of the MacIver Institute for their tremendous achievements in reaching large audiences through video communications and for the critical role they continue to play educating citizens of Wisconsin and the nation,” said Brad Lips, Chief Executive Officer of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation.
The award winning video, which can be seen here, was narrated and produced for the MacIver News Service by investigative reporter Bill Osmulski.
As tens of thousands of public employees skipped work earlier this year to attend protest rallies outside the Wisconsin State Capitol, many wondered if they would face any disciplinary action for unexcused absences. On Saturday, February 19, a group of men and women in lab coats purporting to be doctors were handing out medical excuse notes, without examining the ‘patients.’ Osmulski captured the event on camera and produced his award winning video that day.
With that, MacIver broke a national news story and it continues to follow the disciplinary procedures against the doctors, teachers and other public employees involved in the scam. The video was seen on national newscasts and featured on the Drudge Report and several other websites.
“We didn’t set out to report on the madness in Madison as a way to win awards, but it is always nice to have our work recognized,” said MacIver Institute President Brett Healy. “We are humbled to be honored by such a respected organization as Atlas.”
The other finalists for the award included the Mackinac Public Policy Institute and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization connecting a global network of more than 400 free-market organizations in over 80 countries to the ideas and resources needed to advance the cause of liberty.
The MacIver Institute, think tank located on the Capitol Square in Madison, is the Free Market Voice for Wisconsin. In addition to operating the MacIver News Service—a copyright free, open source news-reporting agency that focuses on state and local governments—MacIver publishes research and analysis on education, tax and health care issues and operates the WiOpenGov.org transparency website.
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