2025 Feature (Large Newsroom) Finalists
Jennifer Chambers
The Detroit News
He Escaped a Killer at Oxford High School. His Fight for Survival Was Only Beginning.
Comments From the Judges:
“Very powerful story, so well reported and written. I have never before read anything that looks at the long range effect of gun violence on survivors. This takes us deeply there. Excellent work.”
“This was a beautiful tale from Chambers. I appreciate the focus on a student who had a gun pointed at him, watched his classmate be shot and killed, and escaped the teen killer. We more often hear about how school shootings affect those who were physically hurt, but what Keegan experienced was just as harmful. Unless we’ve experienced this trauma ourselves, it’s hard to imagine how Keegan’s experience affected him, his parents, and his siblings. But Chambers did a good job taking us into their world and showing us, through their words and with detail, how Keegan spiraled, how his siblings were affected, and how his parents dealt with the trauma.”
Elissa Nadworny
NPR
How Trump’s University Research Cuts Affect a 4-Year-Old in Heart Failure
Comments From the Judges:
“Wonderful story that brings to life the human cost of the Trump cuts to medical research. Very vivid and detailed with the voices of the young boy, the mother, the researcher and others. Hearing the boy talk about his own heart was astounding. The author made the science part about the device understandable as well.”
“A moving story showing the real-world consequences of President Trump’s crackdown on colleges. Nadworny picked a great example to illustrate how the president’s efforts to punish higher ed are reverberating beyond the campus gates. And the audio is adorable. I really enjoyed this story, its flow and organization worked really well. Lovely details from Caleb and how he sees his world. Well written and well reported.”
Casey Parks
The Washington Post
For Young Transgender Runner, Racing Wasn’t the Hardest Thing
Comments From the Judges:
“I am amazed by the access that Parks got to the subject, and the details captured as a result – from the expired power bars, to the clothing that Veronica had worn when she went to speak to her prospective coach. Parks takes readers inside Verónica’s mind, showing us not what she is experiencing in the moment, but what she thinks and feels about it.”
“I can’t see how any human being could read this piece and not come away with a new and vivid understanding of what life must be like for transgender teenagers (or adults) like Verónica. Every political actor who is drafting legislation against transgender humans needs to read this story. It has a unique power that resonates beyond the page. That power is quite simply its brilliant writing — writing that emerges from excellent and difficult, exacting reporting.”
