2024 – Online
ONLINE
Online investigative reporting for digital-only website
First Place
“Denied by AI: Consequences for Sick and Vulnerable Americans”
Casey Ross and Bob Herman
STAT
Judges’ comments: STAT combined two hot topics: Medical insurers cutting off payments and treatment too early and the rise of AI into a stunning look at how insurance carriers are treating their customers. Many may blame their physician or hospital for cutting off benefits while still needing treatment. But, as STAT showed so well, it is often an algorithm used by AI to say that, statistically, the patient should be well by now and no longer needs benefits for a condition. Thumbs up to STAT for a deep, thorough and well-researched investigation.
Second Place
“In the Name of Protection”
Ronnie Greene and Holly Barker
Bloomberg Industry Group
Third Place
“Inside West Virginia’s Chernobyl”
Justin Nobel
Truthdig
Online investigative reporting for digital partnerships with other news outlets
First Place
“The Truth Behind ‘Parental Alienation'”
Olivia Gentile
Business Insider, Type Investigations, Retro Report
Judges’ comments: Bravo to Olivia Gentile, who delved deep into the controversial treatment programs in which children are cut off from a parent they trust and forced to live with one they fear. Her work reveals how family court judges are persuaded to order children into ‘parental alienation’ by proponents of that theory even though top medical groups have shown no support for the process. She reveals that such programs can traumatize children and leave them in the hands of abusers. Her reporting directly resulted in two children being returned to their trusted parent, and a California law ending court-mandated reunification therapy.
Second Place
“An Activist Group is Spreading Misinformation to Stop Solar Projects in Rural America”
Miranda Green and Michael Copley
Floodlight and NPR
Third Place
“Uprooted: How Public Universities Expanded by Displacing Black Communities”
Brandi Kellam, Louis Hansen and Gabriel Sandoval
Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO
Online beat reporting
First Place
“Worker Power”
Josh Eidelson and Brendan Case
Bloomberg
Judges’ comments: Josh Eidelson’s unionization stories went deep into the cultures of major U.S. companies, explaining the resurgence of salting tactics as unions become more powerful; highlighting the conflicting values and practices of seemingly progressive companies such as REI and Starbucks; and pointing out startling safety problems at giant retailer Dollar General. The stories were well reported, seamlessly written and prompted resignations at the top at Dollar General and sooner than expected at Starbucks.
Second Place
“A Critical Year in the Unraveling of the ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis”
Markian Hawryluk, Renuka Rayasam, Samantha Young, Chris Vanderveen
KFF Health News & KUSA-TV
Third Place
“The Unwatched”
Jenny Deam and Evan Wyloge
Denver Gazette
Online beat reporting health and science
First Place
“Sex in Space and Other Cosmic Wonders”
Elisha Sauers
Mashable
Judges’ comments: Elisha Sauers mined her space beat for the most interesting stories, then wrote them in such a fun, engaging way that everyone wants to read them. “Sex in space” isn’t just a titillating topic; as her editors point out, it may be very important to the future of humanity. She divulges that astronauts have acknowledged arousal, writes of the obstacles to copulation, and notes that as space travel becomes more frequent and commercialized, the possibility and how-to’s of sex will be of greater interest. She introduces us to the animals who have been at the forefront of the research, including a cockroach named Nadehda, who became a mother in space and “showed the world what happens when multiples are conceived in outer space.”
Second Place
“Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash”
Aneri Pattani
KFF Health News
Third Place
Nicholas Florko
STAT
Online beat reporting government and political coverage
First Place
“Government Failures in Maui Fires”
Honolulu Civil Beat Staff
Honolulu Civil Beat
Judges’ comments: Honolulu Civil Beat covered the “What, So What and Now What” in its deeply researched stories on the tragic Maui fire. The digital news site demonstrated how a local site fully serves the needs of its community and shines a light on the failings of the system.
Second Place
“High Courts, High Stakes”
Aaron Mendelson
The Center for Public Integrity
Third Place
“China Spy Balloon Coverage”
Courtney Kube and Carol E. Lee
NBC News
Online breaking news
First Place
“Criminal Trial Coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried”
MacKenzie Sigalos and Ari Levy
CNBC
Judges’ comments: CNBC’s trial coverage was clear, interesting, thorough, and explained in everyday language what was going on in a month-long, complicated fraud trial. The stories had range, from life inside Bankman-Fried’s penthouse to how the reporter nabbed a seat at the trial, transmitted her stories from a park bench, and the factors that allowed the jury to spend only three hours deliberating.
No Second- or Third-Place Awards given
News video up to three minutes
First place
“Cranberry Harvest”
Samantha Swindler
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Judges’ comments: The cranberry harvest, from field to market, told in under 3 minutes. Good variety in the cranberry visuals, from wide angles to tight details. Clean, crisp, educational.
Second place
“Wool Farm”
Vickie Connor
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Third place
“Cowboy Dinner Tree”
Samantha Swindler
The Oregonian/OregonLive
News video 3 to 10 minutes
First Place
“The Last Ascent?: Ice Climbing in a Warming World”
Dan Wright and Andrea Rainone
The Weather Company
Judges’ comments: This story was all at once gorgeous to look at, hilarious to listen to (“The world doesn’t need ice climbers; we’re expendable”) and absolutely terrifying, in both the act of ice-climbing, and climate change’s decimation of the ice on which to climb. We recognize the degree of difficulty in putting this story together, and appreciate being taken to a place we may never see — and if we do, it won’t look as it did in this piece.
Second Place
“Good Morning America Digital: Where is My Land?”
ABC News Staff
ABC News
Third Place
“ABC News Live Prime – DACA: A Dream Dashed”
ABC News Staff
ABC News
News video 10 to 30 minutes
First Place
“The Secret Terror Inside American Prisons”
Business Insider Staff
Business Insider
Judges’ comments: From start to finish the video covered all angles of a topic that hasn’t gotten much press before. The helplessness of the vulnerable prison population against the practice of using attack dogs is presented viscerally without being dramatic. The interviews were well chosen and well edited.
Second Place
“Fragments of Ukraine: 5 Stories of the DIY Supply Chain”
Michael Nigro
Truthdig
Third Place
“Russia’s Ghost Fleet”
Jake Godin
Scripps News
Digital presentation of a single news topic
First Place
“Deadly Fake”
Dallas Morning News Staff
Dallas Morning News
Judges’ comments: The entry is a rich and multi-dimenesional collection of reporting on the fetanyl crisis in Texas. It is beautifully displayed with nearly 50 different points of entry into the content. Each entry point is illustrated and headlined, so you see the people and know the story beore diving into it. The pieces are accessable and informative and range from “What can I do?” to “How we lost our son to fentanyl.”
Second Place
“Extremism in the Ranks”
Jesse Howe and Justin Myers
Chicago Sun-Times
Third Place
“The Forgotten Four”
Fedor Zarkhin, Mark Friesen and Beth Nakamura
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Digital presentation of a single features topic
First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Slavery’s Descendants”
Reuters staff
Reuters
Judges’ comments: History and journalism are full of tales of half-truths and other misinformation. Like reporter Tom Lasseter, for whom this is also personal, the reader doesn’t know what to expect or what’ll be revealed. The remarkable efforts Reuters put into the production lead us smoothly along, letting us hover or click on links uncovering more and more.
Second Place
“ABC News Digital Buffalo: Healing From Hate, One Year Later”
ABC News Staff
ABC News
Third Place
“What Happened to Heather Mayer?”
Andy Mannix, Renée Jones Schneider and Anna Boone
Star Tribune
Social media
First Place
“Dungeons and Dragons on Death Row”
Kristin Bausch, Keri Blakinger, Ashley Dye and Christopher Vazquez
The Marshall Project
Judges’ comments: The videos were informative and engaging. The topic was interesting and unique, we had no idea inmates played D&D or the challenges they faced to do so. It humanized the people on Death Row without excusing their crimes. We loved that the journalists took the story to Reddit, underutilized by journalism in general, but a place where your target audience of D&D players definitely are. This social media campaign made us excited to read the print story, but also stood on its own as a great collection of journalism.
Second Place
“Money Behind Bars”
Christopher Vazquez, Beth Schwartzapfel and Alexandra Arriaga
The Marshall Project
Third Place
“Using Social Media to Halt Misinformation, Help Michiganders Cope”
Detroit Free Press Staff
Detroit Free Press
Civic/political affairs podcast
First Place
“The Uncertain Hour Season 6: The Welfare-to-Work Industrial Complex”
Krissy Clark, Peter Balonon-Rosen and Grace Rubin
The Uncertain Hour
Judges’ comments: “The Uncertain Hour” does a masterful job uncovering parts of a system that are hidden in plain sight to those lucky enough to have never been caught in it. It uses strong interviews and original reporting of people who have been consistently failed by a system that was never meant to really help them. And an unmasking of those who really profit.
Second Place
“SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America, Season 3”
KQED Staff
KQED
Third Place
“Imperfect Paradise: Nury & The Secret Tapes”
Antonia Cereijido, Emily Guerin, Meg Cramer and the Imperfect Paradise Staff
LAist Studios
Narrative podcast
First Place
“Grapevine”
Mike Hixenbaugh, Antonia Hylton and Frannie Kelley
NBC News Studios Audio Unit
Judges’ comments: “Grapevine” does a masterful job of placing the fight over LGBTQ rights in a small Texas town within the context of the broader social, cultural, and political changes that are occurring across the nation. It’s clear the journalists immersed themselves in town, learning the community and the people involved in the story. They used the voluminous amount of audio they collected — and the other available sound — to craft a compelling narrative that examined multiple sides of a complex issue.
Second Place
“You Didn’t See Nothin'”
Invisible Institute Staff
Invisible Institute
Third Place
“K-Pop Dreaming”
Vivian Yoon, Fiona Ng and the K-Pop Dreaming Staff
LAist Studios
Narrative podcast focused on a single incident, person or time
First Place
“NPR’s Embedded: Buffalo Extreme”
Na’kya McCann, Marianne McCune and NPR’s Embedded Staff
National Public Radio
Judges’ comments: A gripping first-person account of a Black competitive cheerleading and dance team that tries to rise above an unspeakable mass shooting. Hard story to beat and very well produced.
Second Place
“Violation”
Beth Schwartzapfel and Staffs
The Marshall Project and WBUR
Third Place
“Unsolved: A Missing Girl, a Search for Truth”
Gina Barton, Ashley Luthern, Bill Schulz, USA Today and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA Today
Information podcast
First Place
“Embodied”
WUNC Staff
WUNC
Judges’ comments: The Embodied podcast is remarkable in the way that host Anita Rao brings together guests for candid, informed and empathetic conversations about physical, mental and emotional health and our relations with each other and the world. Engaging episodes about diverse topics like mulitracial identities, only children, male infertility and stuttering ultimately become explorations of what it means to be human. A true standout in a very strong category.
Second Place
“Click Here”
Recorded Future News Staff
Recorded Future News
Third Place
“How to LA”
How to LA Staff
LAist Studios
Criminal justice and/or crime podcast
First Place
“Letters from Sing Sing”
Dan Slepian and Preeti Varathan
NBC News Studios Audio Unit
Judges’ comments: “Letters from Sing-Sing” distilled 20 years of reporting into a compelling narrative that clearly changed the lives of both the journalist and the subject of the piece. The original reporting, original audio and wide-ranging impact of the story stands out.
Second Place
“NPR’s Rough Translation: Love Commandos”
Gregory Warner, Lauren Frayer, Mansi Choksi, and NPR’s Rough Translation Staff
National Public Radio
Third Place
“Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen”
Emily Guerin, Sarah Kate Kramer, Rebecca Katz and the Imperfect Paradise Staff
LAist Studios
Community/Local News Site
First Place
The Berkeley Scanner
Emilie Raguso
Judges’ comments: Community and local news websites are creating a model for the future of journalism, and The Berkeley Scanner is defining that future with fast-paced, engaging and energetic coverage of public safety that has a strong voice and edge and a commitment to on-the-scene, shoe-leather reporting. With enterprise reporting, breaking news and community engagement (and producing 30 to 40 stories a month), founder Emilie Raguso is pioneering a new era of journalism with a commitment to the longstanding values that make journalism so essential to our lives.
Second Place
Red Bank Green
Kenny Katzgrau, John T. Ward and Brian Donohue
Third Place
BridgeDetroit
BridgeDetroit staff