2025 Investigative Reporting (Large Newsroom) Finalists

Hannah Dreyfus & Nick Sullivan

The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com

A Takedown of Toxic Hazing

• High school wrestlers faced ‘unspeakable’ hazing: ‘We couldn’t stay silent any longer’
• Liberty High School wrestling coach placed on leave after Republic investigation
• Arizona district won’t open sexual harassment investigation for wrestling team

Comments From the Judges:

“This is an important, powerful and heartbreaking investigative piece that reveals the horrific hazing — actual sexual assault — that is not only accepted as part of a deeply troubled culture but that seems to have received scant interest from those who should care most about protecting students, including school officials and police. The story is detailed, well-told and, frankly, horrific.”

“Harrowing. Powerful. Incredible. Without this reporting, where would these students be? This is what investigative journalism can do: give voice to the voiceless, expose wrongdoing, and hold officials accountable to the public. At the end of the day, this reporting makes students in Arizona safer. The reporters should be incredibly proud. Bravo to the reporters for finally bringing this story to light and gaining the trust of these young men, who had already been betrayed by adults meant to protect them, and getting them on the record.”

Lauren Lumpkin, Robert Samuels, John D. Harden, Amy Brittain, Nicole Dungca & Keith L. Alexander

The Washington Post

DC’s Juvenile Detention

• Empty Desks: How the District’s failure to curb truancy in middle schools fueled the biggest youth crime surge in a generation.
• On the Box: D.C. court officials repeatedly lost track of teens wearing ankle monitors. The timing was deadly.
• Serving ‘Dead Time’: D.C. teens needed rehabilitation to keep the city safe. They languished in a violent detention center instead.

Comments From the Judges:

“Truly fascinating accountability reporting with incredibly high stakes and vast impact. Bravo. This reporting left me heartbroken for these teens and their families. I particularly appreciate the historical context, how far back in the data the reporters went to explain these trends and the many layers and players the reporters investigated. I’m greatly impressed by the breadth of sources the reporters interviewed and the focus on what is working, when used.”

“Excellent reporting and analysis, documenting truancy and criminal justice failures in middle and high school students. Outstanding presentation. The topic is familiar, but linking truancy to data on crime, mental health services and extracurricular activities provides added depth and nuance to a complex problem. The series also holds DC leaders accountable – for cutting budgets, refusing to follow through on promises, and failing to explain to the public why truancy remains a major problem in District schools. Thorough, thorough, thorough. ‘School is wack’ – the best quote found in any entry. Excellent presentation and analysis of data.”

Annie Martin & Leslie Postal

Orlando Sentinel

Florida’s Voucher Overhaul Hands Millions to Wealthy Families

• Millions flow to wealthy families, pricey private schools under Florida’s supercharged voucher program

Comments From the Judges:

“This is a terrific investigation that gets at a critical issue with the right data: Tracking the percentage of students using state scholarship dollars to attend specific private and religious schools before and after the 2023 voucher expansion in Florida. I also appreciated the voices of parents, including those who saw nothing wrong with getting public money for their children’s private education. The reporting around specific campuses and the extensive data collection is an important contribution to this critical conversation.”

“Great accountability story probing recent changes to the long-running voucher program in Florida. The reporters and editors captured the context and specifics of the political, financial, and educational impacts. Important, user-friendly database for readers to see what’s happening in their school. A true added value to the journalism. Also valuable to place the Florida voucher system into a national context. The story is written with authority and is deeply sourced — a testament to great beat reporting.”

Emily Schwing

KYUK Public Media, ProPublica & NPR

Frozen Out: Alaska’s Schools Wait for Funding 

• A rural Alaska school asked the state to fund a repair. Nearly two decades later, the building is about to collapse. 
• Alaska’s Public Schools serve as emergency shelters. Those buildings are also in crisis.
• Alaska owns dozens of deteriorating schools. Now it wants under-resourced districts to take them on.

Comments From the Judges:

“The jaw-dropping pieces of reporting in the first story are continuous. The explanation that the student enrollments are too low to make them worthy for repair. The school asked to show proof it didn’t make repairs to the roof after making requests for 19 years for repaid funding. Students having to share a bathroom. A teacher swinging a tennis racket at a bat while students were in class. Alaska should feel embarrassed.”

“I really liked this story. It shows the tenacity and passion of the education reporter to 1) identify the scaffolding of a story not on the public’s radar, 2) physically take on a story in remote terrain — among communities that are often invisible and difficult to penetrate. It takes a dry subject — delayed maintenance — and makes it come tragically alive. Beautiful photos. Bravo.”