Two 2015 Center for Public Integrity investigations are co-winners of the Radio Television Digital News Association’s Kaleidoscope Award, which honors “journalistic excellence in covering issues of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
The RTDNA announced Tuesday that the award in the digital category would be shared by “Criminalizing Kids,” which revealed that Virginia schools referred students to law enforcement agencies at nearly three times the national rate, and “Environmental Justice, Denied,” which found that the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Civil Rights had never made a formal finding of a civil rights violation in its 22-year history.
“Criminalizing Kids” was produced by Center staffers Susan Ferriss, Chris Zubak-Skees, Ben Wieder and Jared Bennett in partnership with the investigative radio program Reveal, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, and The California Report from KQED. “Environmental Justice, Denied,” was produced in partnership with NBC BLK by Center staffers Kristen Lombardi, Talia Buford and Eleanor Bell Fox, and former staffers Ronnie Greene, Yue Qiu and Kristian Winfield.
“We hope the work done by our Kaleidoscope Award winners this year inspires journalists across the country,” RTDNA Executive Director Mike Cavender said in a statement. “All are outstanding examples of how newsrooms can provide breadth and depth to their coverage of diverse communities and issues.”