It was awarded to Tom and Pat Gish at the institute's first conference for journalists focused on covering healthcare in Central Appalachia, which was held at The University of Kentucky's Center for Rural Health in Hazard, KY.
Later in 1960 the controversy would continue with The Mountain Eagle's article on Bert Combs, the Kentucky governor, in which he was criticized for not taking a stronger stand against strip mining, as well as not addressing the failing economy of the Appalachian area.
[8] The reach of "The Mountain Eagle's" influence was not limited to Letcher County or the state of Kentucky, and would become nationally influential when an article was written about the Tennessee Valley Authority's involvement in strip mining.
This gained attention from Harry Caudill who wrote a book in 1963 entitled Night Comes to the Cumberlands which focused on the issues the Appalachian area faced.
In November 1963 Homer Bigart, a New York Times reporter, traveled to Eastern Kentucky and wrote about the hunger faced in the area during Christmas.
This led to donations of food and clothes from all over the country, and became the first time the federal government considered an economic aid program for Appalachia.