Harry J. Karafin (September 4, 1915 – October 23, 1973"Social Security Death Index" database online at Mocavo.com (Boulder, CO: 2013). Original Data: The United States Social Security Administration) was an American investigative journalist associated with The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was a reporter at the Inquirer for 24 years (having worked his way up from copyboy, beginning in 1939Time, 21 April 1967, Magazines: Harry the Muckraker), and in the 1950s and 1960s was considered the paper's star reporter as well as the city's best-known journalist, known for exposing corruption (partly through privileged access to district attorney files).Christopher Ogden (2009), Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg, Hachette, p235-6 Together with a colleague, Karafin was one of three finalists for the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Local Investigative Specialized Reporting.Heinz-D Fischer and Erika J. Fischer (2003), Complete Historical Handbook of the Pulitzer Prize System 1917-2000: Decision-Making Processes in all Award Categories based on unpublished Sources, Walter de Gruyter, p. 118–9
He was dismissed in 1967 after a Philadelphia magazine article exposed his willingness to accept payment from potential reporting subjects in order to avoid negative coverage.New York Times News Service, The Milwaukee Journal, 19 April 1967, Veteran Philadelphia Reporter Fired for Alleged Shakedowns Gaeton Fonzi and Gregory Walter, Philadelphia, 25 September 2008, The Reporter Karafin was convicted on 40 counts of blackmail and corrupt solicitation in 1968AP, Observer-Reporter, 3 October 1968, Karafin Found Guilty In His Blackmail Trial UPI, The Milwaukee Journal, 3 October 1968, Ex-Reporter Convicted in Shakedowns and sentenced to 4-to-9 years; he was additionally convicted of perjury in 1971 in relation to statements in the 1968 trial, with a concurrent 2- to 7-year sentence.AP, 9 December 1971, Gettysburg Times, Harry Karafin Sent To Prison The perjury conviction was overturned by the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Harry died in prison in 1973.Paul McLeary, Columbia Journalism Review, 10 April 2006, Where’s Harry Karafin Now That We Need Him?
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