2015 Winner of the EGF Accelerator’s Eddie Prize

It’s an industry that seemingly can do no wrong in the eyes of regulators. That’s because for-profit colleges in Florida are mostly self-regulated. This package looks at how these colleges came to flourish in Florida.

Comments from the Judges:

“Devastating. Michael Vasquez’s research and reporting show the ugly harmful truth of these for-profit colleges. He could not have been more thorough in revealing the predatory behaviors of these colleges, and the politicians and private equity firms that enable them. The writing, videos and graphics created a clear portrait of a corrupt system that undermines struggling families caught in a ‘pain funnel’ that colleges exploit.”

“The breadth of the reporter’s work, and the newspaper’s commitment, is astonishing. Mr. Vasquez does a full autopsy of this pernicious and costly problem and doesn’t let any culprit – from Florida’s highest public officials to the paid-gun recruiters – walk away unblamed.”

“This is the type of investigative reporting that journalism so desperately needs to keep alive.”