CINCINNATI – The winners and finalists of the 73rd Scripps Howard Journalism Awards produced high-impact reporting that exposed corruption, challenged powerful institutions and amplified underrepresented voices.
Their investigations uncovered system failures in prisons, health care, housing and disaster response. Reporters exposed corporate and government misconduct. They also brought forward compelling stories of resilience, loss and hope.
A panel of veteran journalists and media leaders selected the winners and finalists from more than 600 entries across 12 categories. The Scripps Howard Journalism Awards, one of the nation’s most prestigious journalism competitions, honor work from television stations and networks, radio and podcasts, visual media, online media outlets, independent producers, newspapers and print publications.
“This year’s honorees show how powerful journalism can be in uplifting communities,” said Mike Canan, senior director of journalism strategies for the Scripps Howard Fund. “These journalists stayed with their stories long after the initial headlines faded, sifting through facts and context to reveal deeper truths. Their work has moved people to act, bridged divides and connected people across backgrounds through stories that matter.”
View the gallery of winners and finalists here.
The 73rd Scripps Howard Journalism Awards winners and finalists are:
Impact Award winner: The Examination and The New York Times – “The Poisonous Lead Trade”
Judges’ comments: “‘The Poisonous Lead Trade’ by The Examination and The New York Times revealed the true cost of car batteries and the ways in which convoluted and opaque supply chains obscure the severe health impacts that lead recycling is inflicting on workers and communities in Nigeria. It expertly blended multiple types of reporting, including testing people’s blood for lead levels, to paint a full picture of how U.S. auto manufacturers’ practices are poisoning people on another continent. We were also impressed by the journalists’ decision to partner with outlets in Nigeria and several other countries to share the stories. This is an enlightening and comprehensive work of investigative journalism, connecting a little-known public health catastrophe in Nigeria with the auto industry in the United States. With limited publicly available data, the journalists gathered their own data on lead exposure and revealed real-life consequences in Nigeria.”
Excellence in Audio Storytelling winner: Spotify Studios and The Wall Street Journal – “Camp Swamp Road from The Journal”
Excellence in Business/Financial Reporting winner: Bloomberg News – “Zombie Debt”
Excellence in Environmental Reporting, honoring Ted Scripps, winner: The Examination and The New York Times – “The Poisonous Lead Trade”
“Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, honoring Edward Willis Scripps, winner: Bloomberg News – “A Reporter’s Fight for Public Records”
Excellence in Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling, honoring Ernie Pyle, winner: The New York Times – “Can Anyone Rescue the Trafficked Girls of L.A.’s Figueroa Street?”
Excellence in Visual Human-Interest Storytelling winner: ProPublica and The WNET Group/THIRTEEN – “Before a Breath: America’s Stillbirth Crisis”
Excellence in Local/Regional Investigative Reporting winner: San Francisco Chronicle – “Failed to Death”
Excellence in National/International Investigative Reporting, the Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize, winner: Reuters – “Syria After Assad”
Excellence in Opinion Writing winner: The Boston Globe – “Too many regulations, not enough housing”
Excellence in Local Video Storytelling, honoring Jack R. Howard, winner: KUSA-TV – “AT RISK”
Excellence in National/International Video Storytelling, honoring Roy W. Howard, winner: The New York Times – “The Militarization of ICE”
View the gallery of finalists here.
The Scripps Howard Fund, in partnership with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, also recognizes the winners of its two journalism education awards:
Teacher of the Year: Adam Kuban, Professor, School of Journalism and Strategic Communication, College of Communication, Information and Media, Ball State University
Finalist: Harrison Hove, Associate Instructional Professor and Interim Chair for the Department of Journalism in the College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida
Administrator of the Year: Hub Brown, Dean, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida
Finalist: Avery Holton, Chair, Department of Communication, University of Utah
Learn more about past Scripps Howard Journalism Award winners at SHJAwards.org.
Media contact: Molly Miossi, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3713, [email protected]
About the Scripps Howard Fund
The Scripps Howard Fund, a public charity established by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), is dedicated to creating informed and engaged communities through journalism education, childhood literacy and local causes. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Fund is a leader in supporting journalism through scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry’s top honors for outstanding journalism. The Fund’s annual “If You Give a Child a Book …” childhood literacy campaign has distributed thousands of new books to children in need across the nation. The Fund partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and support organizations that build thriving communities. The Scripps Howard Fund administers funding for the Scripps Howard Foundation, a private foundation established in 1962 to advance charitable causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company and the Scripps and Howard families.