2020 duPont-Columbia Award Winners

In a special program hosted by Christiane Amanpour and Michael Barbaro, the duPont-Columbia University Awards announced the 16 winners of this year's duPont Awards.


In the Dark (Supreme Court Coverage) - APM

An enlightening bonus season of podcast episodes followed the case of death row inmate Curtis Flowers as it went before the Supreme Court, which ultimately overturned his conviction.

 

Believed - Michigan Radio & NPR

This riveting podcast series, an unnerving look at how well-meaning adults can dismiss uncomfortable truths, detailed how a team of women brought former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to justice.

 

Bag Man - MSNBC

The seven-part podcast revisited the investigation, largely overlooked in the wake of Watergate, into corruption at the highest levels of the US government, which ultimately led to the resignation of Richard Nixon’s vice president Spiro Agnew.

 

On the Border - CBS 60 Minutes

This nuanced and newsmaking reporting looked at the Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the Mexican border, from the poignant lens of aspiring immigrants going through it.

 

The Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi - CNN

CNN used the full force of its international reporting to break story after story on the disappearance and grisly murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the Saudi government’s involvement.

 
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Documenting Hate - FRONTLINE and ProPublica

In the wake of Charlottesville, FRONTLINE and ProPublica journeyed deep into America’s shadowy white supremacist movement, exposing some of its most influential leaders and an underground neo-Nazi network.

 

The Facebook Dilemma - FRONTLINE

In a penetrating two-part documentary FRONTLINE traced how Facebook departed from its idealistic origins to become an international platform for political disinformation and division.

 

Love Them First: Lessons from Lucy Laney - KARE 11

This gem of a documentary explored universal issues of race and poverty through the intimate portrait of a struggling elementary school and its inspiring principal.

 

On the Veteran Beat - KARE 11 Investigates

KARE 11’s ongoing, groundbreaking reporting uncovered the Veterans Administration’s lax treatment of veterans in all areas of services, resulting in millions of dollars in refunds to vets as well as an investigation by the Inspector General.

The Bleeding Edge - Netflix

This alarming feature documentary investigated the immense power of the medical device industry, the poor regulation of devices and the tragic physical and psychological consequences of faulty implants.

 

Inside Yemen - PBS NewsHour

Reporter Jane Ferguson became one of the first American journalists inside war-torn Yemen to report on the catastrophic effects of the conflict there on men, women and especially children.

The Apology - POV on PBS

This emotional documentary offers a compelling exploration of the decades-long fight for justice for the "comfort women" enslaved by Japanese troops during World War II.

Dark Money - POV on PBS

Following an investigative reporter through a real life political thriller, this documentary exposed one of the greatest threats to American democracy: corrupt big money that floods elections.

 

Fall from Grace: When Priests Prey and Bishops Betray - WKBW-TV

The searing compilation of investigative reports took on the story of clergy sex abuse and coverup by the Catholic Church, and revealed hidden, long-standing problems within the diocese in Buffalo, NY. Just last week, the Bishop there resigned.

 

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War - PBS

With white supremacy, voter suppression and the legacy of black-face minstrels making national headlines, PBS aired this timely inquiry of their roots in one of the most neglected and misunderstood chapters in our national history.

 

Something Suspicious in District 9 - WSOC-TV

Dogged, shoe-leather reporting in North Carolina’s 2018 Congressional elections led to a powerful, ongoing fraud investigation that sparked widespread national attention and criminal charges.