The Lanny Friedlander Prize
The Lanny Friedlander Prize honors an individual or group who has created a publication, medium, or distribution platform that vastly expands human freedom by increasing our ability to express ourselves, engage in debate, and generate new ways of understanding the power of "Free Minds and Free Markets." Journalist Glenn Greenwald was the recipient of the 2014 Prize. It was first awarded in 2013, to Jane Metcalfe and Louis Rossetto, the co-founders of Wired magazine.
The award is named for Lanny Friedlander (1947-2011), who founded Reason magazine in 1968 as a 20-year-old college student at Boston University. An admirer of the Austrian School of economics, Ayn Rand, and Swiss typography, he was agitated by the violent campus atmosphere of the day and the equally brutal response of the authorities. He intended Reason to act as a sort of libertarian conversation pit, where members of that fledgling movement could share news and commentary while building a community. The first issue of the magazine included this mission statement:
"When REASON speaks of poverty, racism, the draft, the war, student power, politics, and other vital issues, it shall be reasons, not slogans, it gives for conclusions… Proof, not belligerent assertion. Logic, not legends. Coherence, not contradictions. This is our promise: This is the reason for REASON."
Friedlander, a talented graphic artist who went on to work with Massimo Vignelli, sold the magazine to contributors Robert W. Poole, Manny Klausner, and Tibor Machan in 1971.
Read The New York Times obituary of Lanny Friedlander.
2014 Lanny Friedlander Prize
The 2014 Lanny Prize was awarded to Glenn Greenwald. Greenwald, who is best known today for his central role in bringing National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelations to the general public, thus ripping the lid off an American surveillance regime that had long since burst through constitutional restraints. He has also co-founded the online investigative journalism outfit The Intercept. Greenwald's ongoing demonstration project of how technology, passion, and creativity can make the world a freer and more prosperous place makes him an ideal recipient for the second annual Lanny Friedlander Prize.
2013 Lanny Friedlander Prize
In celebration of Reason magazine founder Lanny Friedlander, who passed away in 2011, the first-ever Lanny Friedlander Prize was awarded to Wired co-founders Louis Rossetto and Jane Metcalfe for their impact helping people understand the power of free minds and free markets through Wired's analysis of technology, business, and culture.