Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Small: SEJ 23rd Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment

First Place

"Misplaced Trust" by Tristan Ahtone, Clayton Aldern, Marcelle Bonterre, Eliseu Cavalcante, An Garagiola, Audrianna Goodwin, Robert Lee, Maria Parazo Rose, Amanda Tachine, Bean Yazzie and Parker Ziegler for Grist

Screenshot of first-place project, Carmody Reporting, Small

Team roles:

• Reported and written by Tristan Ahtone, Robert Lee, Amanda Tachine, An Garagiola and Audrianna Goodwin
• Data reporting by Maria Parazo Rose and Clayton Aldern, with additional data analysis and visualization by Marcelle Bonterre and Parker Ziegler
• Original photography by Eliseu Cavalcante and Bean Yazzie
• Design and development by Parker Ziegler

Story links:

1. "Misplaced Trust" (Feb. 7, 2024)
2. "Top 5 Takeaways of Our Investigation Into State Trust Lands"
3. "How We Investigated the Land-Grant University System"
4. "How To Conduct Your Own Reporting and Research on State Trust Lands"
5. "The Extractive Industries Filling Public University Coffers on Stolen Land"

Judges' comments: "This reporting sets a new standard for storytelling using data driven analysis in investigative journalism. The reporters uncover a previously untold story about U.S. land-grant universities that were allocated lands originally promised to Indigenous nations. The investigation includes the story of Alina Sierra — an Indigenous student struggling to fund her college education. Reporters contrast her experience with the fact that 14 land grant universities, including Alina's, generate millions in revenue from surface and subsurface rights on lands once allocated to Indigenous tribes. The story is anchored by a comprehensive database of state land trust data, featuring a powerful, searchable map that details the universities and the mining, timber and fossil fuel extraction rights that fund them. The impact of the report is further amplified by the reporters making the data and coding used in the series publicly available for journalists and researchers to freely use."

 

Second Place

"State of Denial: How Texas' Environmental Regulators Enable Big Oil and Other Polluters" by Peter Aldhous, Dylan Baddour, Alejandra Martinez and Martha Pskowski for Inside Climate News and The Texas Tribune

Team roles:

• Peter Aldhous, freelance data reporter on "Oil and Gas Companies Spill Millions of Gallons" story
• Dylan Baddour, lead reporter on series, Inside Climate News reporter
• Alejandra Martinez, co-reporter on the "Major Problem in Texas" story, Texas Tribune environment reporter
• Martha Pskowski, reporter on the series, Inside Climate News reporter

Story links:

1. "The One-Mile Rule: Texas' Unwritten and Arbitrary Policy Protects Big Polluters from Citizen Complaints" (Dylan Baddour, July 30, 2023)
2. "Texas Quietly Moves To Formalize Acceptable Cancer Risk From Industrial Air Pollution. Public Health Officials Say It's Not Strict Enough" (Dylan Baddour, Oct. 13, 2023)
3. "Oil and Gas Companies Spill Millions of Gallons of Wastewater in Texas" (Martha Pskowski and Peter Aldhous, Oct. 31, 2023)
4. "Thousands of Oil and Gas Wastewater Spills Threaten Property, Groundwater, Wildlife and Livestock Across Texas" (Martha Pskowski, Dec. 18, 2023)
5. "'Major' Problem in Texas: How Big Polluters Evade Federal Law and Get Away With It" (Dylan Baddour, Martha Pskowski and Alejandra Martinez, Dec. 26, 2023)

Judges' comments: "This exhaustive effort at data collection, records mining and interviews impressed the judges for its ambition and thoroughness in documenting how the major regulatory agencies of Texas sidestep the law, science and accountability to allow the fossil fuel industry to make more money and avoid health and safety regulations. The series exposed Texas' use of a 'one-mile rule' that does not exist to restrict opposition to company plans, how it misrepresents cancer risks, fails to adequately investigate oilfield wastewater spills and winked at the companies' brazen use of loopholes to avoid regulations. The stellar series came despite the refusal of both the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to provide interviews, a damning signal of how they spurn accountability. The series is noteworthy for the collaboration of the reporters across organizations and the inclusion of complex data work."

 

Third Place

"Poisoned for Gold" by Erastus Asare Donkor and Kofi Asare for JoyNews TV-Ghana

Team roles:

• Erastus Asare Donkor (reporter)
• Kofi Asare (videographer, video editor, graphic artist)

Story links:

1. Part 1 (Oct. 16, 2023)
2. Part 2 (Nov. 6, 2023)
3. Part 3 (Nov. 13, 2023)

Judges' comments: "The series exemplifies the power of environmental journalism. This three-part investigation delved deep into the devastating public health consequences of illegal gold mining in Ghana, showcasing an unwavering commitment to truth in the face of significant personal risk. Over six months, Donkor and his team traversed Ghana, meticulously documenting the link between heavy metal contamination from mining activities and severe health deformities in local communities. Their work went beyond mere reporting, conducting water quality tests that provided crucial data for further studies and NGO actions. The series ignited a national debate on responsible mining and catalyzed tangible change, with some polluting mining operations shuttered as a result."

 

First Honorable Mention

"Toxic Benzene Lingered for Weeks After Shelter-in-Place Warnings Ended Following 2019 Houston-Area Chemical Fire" by Emily Albracht, Caroline Covington, Erin Douglas, Mark Felix, Alex Ford, Jade Khatib, David Leffler, Emil Lippe, Alejandra Martinez, Liz Moskowitz, Anita Shiva, Savanna Strott and Todd Wiseman for The Texas Tribune and Public Health Watch

Team roles:

• Emily Albracht, Design Director/The Texas Tribune: Art direction and illustrations
• Caroline Covington, Scripps Howard Data Visualization Fellow, Texas Tribune: Data analysis and visualizations
• Erin Douglas, Climate Reporter/The Texas Tribune
• Mark Felix, Photographer (Freelance/contract): Photography
• Alex Ford, Designer Developer: Data visualizations and graphics
• Jade Khatib, Data Visuals Fellow/The Texas Tribune: Contributed data analysis
• David Leffler, Reporter/Public Health Watch: Reporting including source building, field work, document review, data analysis
• Emil Lippe, Photographer (Freelance/contract): Photography
• Alejandra Martinez, Environmental Reporter/Texas Tribune: Reporting including source building, field work, document review, data analysis
• Liz Moskowitz, Photographer (Freelance/contract): Photography
• Anita Shiva, Multimedia Fellow: Videography/Production/Editing of multimedia materials
• Savanna Strott, Reporter/Public Health Watch: Reporting including source building, field work, document review, data analysis
• Todd Wiseman, Senior Editor (Video and Multimedia): Production/Editing of multimedia materials

Story links:

1. "For Years, the EPA and Texas Ignored Warning Signs at a Chemical Storage Site. Then an Inferno Erupted." (April 26, 2023)
2. "Toxic Benzene Lingered for Weeks After Shelter-in-Place Warnings Ended Following 2019 Houston-Area Chemical Fire" (April 27, 2023)

Judges' comments: "This is a meticulously reported tick-tock of the fire, and a thorough examination of federal and state regulatory failures that led to the possible exposure to hundreds of nearby residents to toxic chemical fumes. The judges were impressed by the writing, by the blending of interviews, report diving and data collection, and by the collaboration between The Texas Tribune and Public Health Watch."

 

Second Honorable Mention

"Bihar's Sand Mining Mafia" by Monica Jha and Shamsheer Yousaf for Fountain Ink

Team roles:

• Monica Jha, Freelance Reporter: Reporting & writing, Translations & subtitles
• Shamsheer Yousaf, Freelance Reporter: Reporting & writing, Shooting and editing videos and photos, and Satellite Imagery

Story links:

1. "The Crimes of the Flood Plains" (Aug. 10, 2023)
2. "Mahadalits Resist As Sand Mining Mafia Grabs Land" (Aug. 10, 2023)
3. "Sand Mining: Women Bear the Many Burdens" (Aug. 10, 2023)

Judges' comments: "Through meticulous on-the-ground reporting, the journalists uncovered the clandestine operations of the illegal sand mining trade in Bihar, a densely populated northeastern state of India, where rival gangs fiercely compete for control over lucrative mining territories. Despite the significant risks, the reporters earned the trust of marginalized groups, including women and Dalits, who bear the brunt of the violence. The compelling three-part series delves into the intricate web of criminal gangs, corrupt politicians and police, all exploiting the region's valuable land. A comprehensive video, featuring footage of the sand mines and surrounding villages, offers a rare glimpse into this remote area, with satellite imagery underscoring the vast scale of the illegal mining activities."

 

Third Honorable Mention

"Tennessee Wetlands" by Adam Friedman and Anita Wadhwani for Tennessee Lookout

Team roles:

• Adam Friedman (co-reporter)
• Anita Wadhwani (lead reporter)

Story links:

1. "A Bill To End Protections for Tennessee Wetlands Draws Pushback" (Jan. 31, 2024)
2. "Developers, Seeking To Gain From Building Boom Tied to Ford Plant, Push for Weaker Wetland Rules" (Feb. 28, 2024)
3. "Connecting the Dots Between Tennessee's Homebuilders and Bill To Deregulate Construction on Wetlands" (Feb. 28, 2024)
4. "Developer-Backed Bill To End Wetlands Protections Shelved by Tennessee Senate" (March 7, 2024)

Judges' comments: "The investigative series on wetland regulation showcases impactful local journalism. This four-person nonprofit newsroom uncovered a legislative effort to limit wetland oversight, revealing the bill's lead Republican sponsor — a west Tennessee developer — had projects on wetland properties and stood to gain from the proposed legislation. The Lookout's reporting connected developers' interests to a Ford plant building boom and push for weaker environmental rules. Their investigative techniques, combining data analysis, document research and interviews, presented a compelling narrative of special interests at work. The impact was swift: a week after publication, the bill was shelved in committee. This series showcases how a small, dedicated team can produce journalism with outsized impact."

 

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The Society of Environmental Journalists' annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment honor the best environmental journalism in 10 categories, bringing recognition to the stories that are among the most important on the planet. Prizes are $500 for first-place winners and $250 for second-place winners in all categories. Plus, the Nina Mason Pulliam Award for the "best of the best" environmental reporting will award $10,000 to one entry selected from the first-place winners of SEJ's Awards for Reporting on the Environment. Sponsored by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, this prestigious award will be announced live on January 28 — please save the date and stay tuned for details.

 

SEJ's 2024 Esteemed Judges and Screeners
SEJ's 2024 Awards Committee

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