ONLINE
Online investigative reporting for digital-only website
First Place
“Thousands in northeast Oregon left with unsafe drinking water after years of state inaction”
Oregon Capital Chronicle staff
Oregon Capital Chronicle
Judges’ comments: The Oregon Capital Chronicle took a serious pollution problem, which the state had known about for 30 years, and pointed a light at it and sparked reform. Thousands of homes were hooked to wells that were tainted by nitrates from a variety of sources. The news outlet’s research resulted in emergency declarations and fines against the polluters.
Second Place
“Patients for Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care”
KFF Health News staff
KFF Health News
Third Place
“Cannabis Card Game”
Ed Mahon
Spotlight PA
Online investigative reporting for digital partnerships with other news outlets
First Place
“The Uber Files”
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists staff
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Judges’ comments: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ investigation revealed how Uber literally took the world’s leaders, its customers and its drivers for a ride as it pursued world dominance.
Second Place
“Pentagon contractors engaged extensively in trafficked workers despite ‘zero tolerance’ pledges”
Staff
NBC News, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, The Washington Post and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism staff
Third Place
“The Ericsson List”
Sydney P. Freedberg, Maggie Michael and Amir Musawy
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Online beat coverage
First Place
“Who Counts?”
Center for Public Integrity staff
Center for Public Integrity
Judges’ comments: A detailed report on voting issues from the history of noncitizens voting to gerrymandering. An important contribution to understanding how a democracy works, and the challenges of equitable voting.
Second Place
“Documenting the Death Penalty”
Liliana Segura and Jordan Smith
The Intercept
Third Place
“Space Beat Coverage”
Elisha Sauers
Mashable
Online news video up to three minutes
First place
“Eternal Optimists: Farmers Battle Historic Drought”
Rebecca Slezak
Dallas Morning News
Judges’ comments: The video combined elements of good storytelling by showing how ranchers adapted to battle drought, providing the facts and conveying emotion in a well-edited piece.
Second place
“Inside the Forecast: Dems Attempt to Dodge Inflation Woes”
Renee Klahr, Steve Shepard and Monica Akhtar
POLITICO
Third place
“The Real Impact of a 1-Foot Rise in Sea Level”
National Investigative Unit and National Digital News Desk
Hearst Television
Online news video 3 to 10 minutes
First Place
“GMA Digital: Dear Future Survivor”
GMA Digital staff
ABC News
Judges’ comments: “Dear Future Survivor” is an extremely moving telling of how young mass-shooting survivors have been affected. The video, produced to mark the 10th anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, gives voice to teens through letters they’ve written to “future survivors.” It’s personal and powerful and brought tears to one veteran journalist’s eyes.
Second Place
“Nye County Crash Investigation”
Rachel Aston, Arthur Kane and Rhonda Prast
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Third Place
“Why People Risk Their Lives Hunting For Deadly Explosives”
Insider Staff
Insider
Online video 10 to 30 minutes
First Place
“ABC News Live: The Women Left Behind”
ABC News Live staff
ABC News
Judges’ comments: Ian Pannell’s 22 years of experience covering Afghanistan gave viewers the historical context of the all-too-human story of the women and girls left behind in Afghanistan. The writing, visuals and interviews offered an intimate look at the heartbreak and resilience of the women in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal.
Second Place
“Inside the Dance School Helping Kenya’s Teen Mothers”
Bloomberg Staff
Bloomberg
Third Place
“4 Deaths, 4 Serious Injuries”
Newsday staff
Newsday
Digital presentation of a single news topic
First Place
“The Safest Place”
Mark Friesen, Noelle Crombie, Samantha Swindler, Dave Killen and Beth Nakamura
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Judges’ comments: The Safest Place gives students a chance to tell the story of gun violence in their own words. The presentation features include video, photo and text that are easy to follow and together they take readers into the school and into the lives of those directly and indirectly affected by incredible pain and loss.
Second Place
“In Survivors’ Words”
Seattle Times staff
Seattle Times
Third Place
“Fatal Dose: A City’s Fentanyl Failure”
The Chronicle Staff
San Francisco Chronicle
Digital presentation of a single features topic
First Place
“The Planet’s Most Threatened Flight Path, and the $3 Billion Plan to Protect It”
CNN staff
CNN
Judges’ comments: Call to Earth, the multimedia presentation by CNN documenting the growing dangers facing migratory birds, captures the audience. The flow of the reporting through audio, images, video and mapping was a delight. A complex subject explored almost to the point of entertainment. Well done.
Second Place
“First Foods: How Native People are Revitalizing the Natural Nourishment of the Pacific Northwest”
Lynda Mapes, Erika Schultz and Lauren Frohne
Seattle Times
Third Place
“Warehouse Nation”
Insider Staff
Insider
Social media
First Place
“The POLITICO Show on Snapchat”
Jackie Padilla, Meiying Wu, Dan Ashwood, Monica Akhtar and staff
POLITICO
Judges’ comments: The POLITICO show feels native to the platform. The journalists draw in viewers by showing their personalities while providing news in the concise constraints Snapchat requires.
Second Place
“GMA Digital: Breaking the Mental Health Stigma for Black Women”
GMA Digital staff
ABC News
Third Place
“ABC News Digital: ClimateNOW”
ABC News Digital staff
ABC News
Civic/political affairs podcast
First Place
“Going for Broke”
Ray Suarez, Alissa Quart, Shannon Henry Kleiber and Staff
Economic Hardship Reporting Project
To The Best Of Our Knowledge from WPR/PRX
Judges’ comments: In “Going for Broke,” we are pulled into the life of real people who have had profound economic problems in their life. With in-depth interviews, this podcast takes you in-depth and discusses potential solutions. Host Ray Suarez, who has been open about his economic struggles, does a nice job in the interviews.
Second Place
“High Turnout, Wide Margins”
Brianna Lennon, Eric Fey and KBIA Staff
KBIA-FM
No third-place award given
Narrative podcast
First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret”
Staff of Scripps News & Stitcher
Scripps News & Stitcher
Judges’ comments: In a category with many strong entries, “Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret” stands out. The fact of the story is simple: a prominent civil rights era photographer was also an FBI informant. But the nuances, humanity and historical context are what separated this work. It draws from a range of sources, including FBI documents and the result is a compelling work of great journalism.
Second Place
“SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America”
Molly Solomon and Erin Baldassari
KQED
Third Place
“Sent Away”
Curtis Gilbert, David Fuchs, Jessica Miller and Will Craft
APM Reports, KUER and The Salt Lake Tribune
Information podcast
First Place
“Embodied”
Embodied Staff
North Carolina Public Radio WUNC
Judges’ comments: This podcast wraps you in the warmth and comfort of a conversation with a good friend. She’s sitting right across from you and telling you about things quite private. Listen; there’s a lot you’re going to learn and that may make you feel better, too!
Second Place
“Click Here”
Dina Temple-Raston, Sean Powers, Will Jarvis and Karen Duffin
Recorded Future News
Third Place
“Twenty-Four Seven: A Podcast About Caregiving”
Kitty Eisele and staff
Texas Public Radio
Criminal justice and/or crime podcast
First Place
“Murderville, Texas”
The Intercept staff
The Intercept
Judges’ comments: Suspenseful, dramatic, deeply reported, important, emotionally resonant. These are the words that come to mind after listening to the “Murderville, Texas” podcast. Intercept reporters Liliana Segura and Jordan Smith fully employ the podcast format to tell a compelling and relevant story about the scariest of criminal-justice nightmares: a death row inmate who may be innocent.
Second Place
“Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders”
Staff of the Chicago Tribune and At Will Media
Chicago Tribune/At Will Media
Third Place
“Cruel & Unusual”
A.J. Lagoe, Brandon Stahl and Gary Knox
KARE-TV