Neela Banerjee, an Indian-American journalist has been felicitated by US President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle. Neela Banerjee and three of her colleagues from Inside Climate News were presented with the prestigious Edgar A Poe award. The annual award by the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) honours journalistic work of national or regional significance.

A Washington DC-based journalist Banerjee, before joining Inside Climate News, was energy and environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times’ Washington bureau. She covered global energy, the Iraq War and other issues with The New York Times. A graduate of Yale University, she also served as a Moscow correspondent with The Wall Street Journal.

The award was shared by Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post, who explored the issue of lead poisoning among poor black children in Baltimore after Freddie Gray died in custody in a high-profile case of alleged police abuse.

Among the judges for journalism awards included Indian American Indira Somani, an Assistant Professor of Journalism at the School of Communications, Howard University in Washington, DC where she teaches broadcast journalism courses.