When New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald met Justin Berry, a sexually and emotionally abused 18-year-old who ran a child pornography Web site, he had two choices.
Eichenwald could act as a detached journalist, writing his story and sending Berry on his way. Or he could help dozens of other teens in Berry's position by persuading him to go to federal officials.
At a luncheon Thursday in the Jack Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kan., Eichenwald will speak about the world of secrecy and anonymity of the Internet, where children are prey for online predators.
The award luncheon is sponsored by Sunflower House, a nonprofit child-abuse prevention center and child advocacy center. "I talked to a lot of these kids, and I spent a lot of time with Justin," Eichenwald said.
"I have never seen someone so emotionally and psychologically destroyed. It was really, really horrifying to realize these weren't impoverished or bad kids. These were a lot of typical kids that could be so easily chewed up and spat out."
Since they met two years ago, Eichenwald and Berry have appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Good Morning America," sharing Berry's story and warning others.
"And in this new world, kids are in danger. You have a class of adults that virtually live online. They spend their days hunting for children and for children's images. It seems to be an insatiable appetite."
Berry, of California, ran a child pornography business that began when he was 13. It started out innocently when he got a webcam, hoping to meet other lonely teens.
Men began offering him money, first to take off his shirt, then to perform sexual acts. They paid him using credit cards and bought him gifts as incentives to keep the business going.
Eichenwald said that since his report ran in The New York Times in December 2005, many self-generated child pornography sites have shut down, most of them within a week.
The reporter in Eichenwald wanted to expose Internet child pornography so that these businesses don't go on any further. But the person in Eichenwald also wants to reach out to parents to keep their children safe.
•The inaugural Sunflower House Lionheart Award Luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the Jack Reardon Convention Center, 500 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kan.
•Tickets are $50 each or $500 for a table of 10. Proceeds go to Sunflower House's Internet safety education efforts. Call or go to www.sunflowerhouse.org .
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