Biolab reporting wins Scripps Howard Award Plus: 67 APSE wins; INMA nominations
On Tuesday, a USA TODAY NETWORK investigation of safety and security lapses at hundreds of secretive biodefense laboratories won the Scripps Howard Award for public service reporting. For those of you not familiar with the capital-J-journalism prize, it’s a big deal — the awards highlight journalism that changes lives and communities.
The investigation, “Biolabs in your backyard,” exposed some serious hazards to the public and led to legislative change, new White House directives about lab safety and a management change in the CDC’s select agent lab regulation program.
“This series draws power from its precision reporting about lab mistakes and near miss incidents that put scientists and the public at risk,” the awards judges said in announcing the prizes on Tuesday. “It would not be an overstatement to say that the pressure for reform from USA Today’s reporting has significantly reduced the possibility of a public health catastrophe.”
Congratulations to lead reporters Alison Young, Nick Penzenstadler, Tom Vanden Brook and the team of journalists in local newsrooms across the USA TODAY NETWORK who contributed to this important story.
USA TODAY NETWORK journalist Nancy Kaffer, a political columnist for the Detroit Free Press, also won for a body of work, particularly about the Flint, Mich., water crisis. Tim Swarens and Suzette Hackney of The Indianapolis Star were also named finalists in this category for a series of editorials that fought for civil rights protections for LGBT citizens.
APSE
Sixty-seven — yes, 67 — USA TODAY NETWORK sites won awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors this week. Congratulations to the winners, including the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic.
INMA finalists
On Tuesday, the International News Media Association (INMA) announced finalists for its 2016 global awards program.
USA TODAY NETWORK finalists include the Arizona Republic’s Storytellers Project (Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand), the Insider membership program (Best Idea to Grow Digital Readership or Engagement) and The Des Moines Register’s YMCA summer campaign (Best Marketing Solution for an Advertising Client).
