Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill will be awarded the second annual Izzy Award by the Park Center for Independent Media at 7:30 p.m. today in Emerson Suites.

Scahill, the author of “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army,” is being presented the award from his collective 2009 body of work that brought the issue of military contractor and mercenary abuses to the mainstream media.

Scahill spoke at the college last year and is a regular commentator on human rights for independent media outlets including Alternet, Democracy Now!, The Huffington Post and The Nation.

Scahill has also appeared on “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Scahill also writes for his own personal blog, Rebel Reports.

The Izzy, which was presented to blogger Glenn Greenwald and Democracy Now! executive producer Amy Goodman last year, is presented by the Park Center for Independent Media.