Their press release states:

The Michael Kelly Award was created by Atlantic Media Company Chairman David G. Bradley after Kelly's death while covering the war in Iraq in 2003. Kelly had been editor of two Atlantic Media publications, The Atlantic and National Journal. The Michael Kelly Award is bestowed annually upon a journalist whose work exemplifies the fearless pursuit and expression of truth that animated Kelly's own career.

This year's finalists are:

•Kelly Kennedy, Army Times - for a series on an infantry regiment in Iraq hit hard by casualties.

•Joshua Kors, The Nation - for stories on the misdiagnosis of injured soldiers returning from Iraq.

•Blake Morrison, Peter Eisler, and Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today - for stories on the Pentagon's failure to respond to the problem of roadside bombs in Iraq.

•Loretta Tofani, Salt Lake Tribune - for a series on unsafe working conditions in China.

The winner of the $25,000 prize will be announced at a May 8 ceremony in Washington, DC.