As part of it's American Speaker Series, the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh was pleased to sponsor the participation of 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner Jerry Kammer at a number of recent events in Phnom Penh. The activities were designed to encourage investigative journalism in Cambodia, to develop the capacity of Cambodian journalists to write investigative news reports, and to promote freer access to public information.

The main thrust of Mr. Kammer's work in Cambodia was as a guest lecturer for an advanced investigative journalism workshop sponsored by InterNews for twelve Cambodian journalists. During the training, Mr. Kammer shared his experiences in writing investigative journalism stories including his work on the corruption scandal involving Rep. Randy Cunningham. The reporters also discussed current stories they are researching, and Mr. Kammer gave advice and made suggestions on how the reporters might be able to get information in different ways. As Mr. Kammer said, "When someone puts a roadblock in our way, we as reporters have to find a way to go around it, over it, or through it." He stressed the need for the reporters to develop personal contacts with people in the government and other institutions who might be willing to share information and documents not easily available to the public.

In addition to the InterNews workshop, Mr. Kammer met with more than 40 journalism students from the Cambodian Communications Institute; conducted a seminar for nearly 70 civil society representatives on how investigative journalism shapes and benefits society and the importance/use of Freedom of Information laws in the U.S. to obtain information for reporting; and led a roundtable discussion with 14 newspaper editors and reporters on the critical need for investigative reporting in Cambodia as well as the dangers, challenges and success stories found in the country.

Mr. Kammer won the prestigious 2006 Pulitzer Prize for reporting that disclosed the worst case of bribe-taking in the history of Congress and led to the imprisonment of a corrupted lawmaker and war hero. Kammer was honored with journalism's highest prize for revealing that Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Rancho Santa Fe, traded lucrative defense contracts for millions of dollars in cash, lavish antiques and other payoffs. Less than six months after the initial report, Cunningham's political career was over. At first he denied wrongdoing, but then he abruptly resigned his office, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison, the longest prison term ever dealt to a U.S. legislator.