2024 Investigative & Public Service (Small Newsroom) Finalists
Joshua Bowling
Searchlight New Mexico
‘The Finer Things in Life’
- ‘The finer things in life’: A small state university is spending tens of thousands on international travel and high-end furniture
- Days of wine and roses: State agencies probe lavish spending by university president
- State auditor slams lavish spending at Western New Mexico University. Will leaders face any consequences?
- After a year of scrutiny, Joseph Shepard to resign as WNMU president
Comments From the Judges:
“Really strong reporting. I am impressed how the reporter used the travel agent to corroborate the documents that the source gave on a thumb drive. Also impressed how he managed to get the university president on the record for the first part of the [series], who kind of hung himself by his own petard, saying things like finer things in life, the president’s house is an entertainment venue and the long game.”
“This package showcases solid investigative techniques and brought the ultimate results – a university president lavishly spending without oversight was forced to resign. The investigation also illustrates why local journalism is so important, and why the decline of that journalism imperils local communities. Western New Mexico University is in an isolated town with little if any local news coverage. Fortunately, a statewide nonprofit news organization stepped forward to expose these issues, and state officials followed up on the reporter’s findings.”
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Keri Heath & Tony Plohetski
Austin American-Statesman
A Fatal Field Trip
- A fatal field trip: Texas bus crash shattered victims’ lives, revealed regulatory lapses
- Deadly Hays crash reveals Texas school buses lack seat belts: ‘They should know better.’
- Months after Hays school bus crash, families struggle with medical, therapy costs
- Amid an ‘ever growing’ number of trucking crashes, Texas DPS oversight withers
Comments From the Judges:
“A powerful investigation that shows how a senseless and deadly bus crash was preventable while also prioritizing the perspectives of the families who lived through it. Beautifully written and deeply reported. First story was really powerful narrative and accountability story-telling. Well done series taking on multiple gaps in oversight, including lack of seatbelts on buses and poor inspections of commercial vehicles on the road.”
“I was impressed by several aspects of this investigation: the deep sourcing with families and centering their stories; the excellent use of public records and analyzing the data related to buses with seat belts, inspections and more; and the 360 approach to the questions of what went wrong and what could have prevented this tragedy. I feel that a lot of outlets may have stopped with the record of the driver. But this team did a deep dive into bus safety and why districts haven’t kept up with the 2017 seat belt law, the hidden cost of therapy for the traumatized families, reporting that required a lot of trust.”
Camille Phillips
Texas Public Radio
Concussions, Bruises, Bite Marks: San Antonio Special Education Teachers Say They Often Get Hurt at Work
Comments From the Judges:
“The reporter starts with challenges at San Antonio’s largest school district and explains how the problems fit into a national picture.The injuries suffered by special education teachers chronicled in this story were [appalling], including the death which sparked the reporter to take a deeper dive. This is an important story and that highlights problems with staffing special education classrooms to ensure they are safe for students and teachers.”
“This shines a light on an under-reported and serious issue in special education, both for the students and the educators. I am impressed with the trust the reporter was able to develop with sources to not only obtain the grievance, but to talk to so many people involved in the grievance as well as get the district on the record about sped. I am also impressed with the nuance and care the reporter took to examine all sides, without pandering or sensationalizing the tragedy. The level of the detail in the reporting is impressive. Really strong work. Exemplary.”
