American Insurrection

FRONTLINE  on PBS | ProPublica | Berkeley Journalism

On the trail of white supremacist groups since Charlottesville, reporter A.C. Thompson and his colleagues uncovered the shifts in ideology, tactics and communications that led to the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill.

COVID's Hidden Toll

FRONTLINE on PBS

FRONTLINE director/correspondent Daffodil Altan and director/producer Andrés Cediel examined how the absence of workplace protections for essential agricultural workers fueled COVID infections among a vulnerable workforce as cases among Latinos and African Americans were surging across the U.S.

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

Netflix | Firelight Films

Weaving archival video, a hip hop soundtrack and poignant testimony from former dealers and users, director Stanley Nelson documented the tragic toll of the “crack epidemic,” the “war on drugs,” and the era of mass incarceration they spawned.

How the Police Killed Breonna Taylor - A Visual Investigation

The New York Times

This concise, compelling piece of forensic journalism from The New York Times Visual Investigations team relied on a wide variety of resources to reconstruct the raid on Taylor's home and challenge the Kentucky attorney general's conclusion that the police use of force was justified.

Human Nature

Nova | The Wonder Collaborative

This science documentary skillfully explained in layman's terms the CRISPR technology that is allowing scientists to alter DNA,  using real-world examples that showed  the vexing moral issues raised when humans become capable of changing what nature intended.

Hunger Ward

MTV Documentary Films | Spin Film | RYOT | Vulcan Productions | XTR

This unflinching documentary about famine and childhood hunger in Yemen is a heartbreaking showcase of human loss in an absence of intervention, medical supplies and humanitarian support.

Immigration Nation

Netflix | Reel Peak Films

With stunning access to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, this artfully crafted documentary series chronicled the first three years of President Trump’s hardline immigration policies and their impact on not only migrants, but the men and women who carried out the new orders.

Inspecting the Inspectors

WVUE-TV New Orleans & Lee Zurik

After a hotel building under construction collapsed, reporter Lee Zurik used GPS data mapping, FOIA applications, and good old fashioned shoe leather to show how safety  inspectors failed to inspect the site prior to a building collapse which killed three construction workers. 

Meltdown in Dixie

America ReFramed on WORLD Channel | American Documentary | Lynnwood Pictures | TOPIC 

With unusual access to both sides of the fight, this documentary used the angst of one small town grappling with its Confederate legacy to viscerally evoke the complexity of confronting 400 years of white supremacy.

My Name is Anjanette Young

CBS 2 Chicago

A relentless years-long investigation by Chicago WBBM-TV reporter Dave Savini and his team into botched police raids targeting communities of color exposed deep flaws in the city’s policing, belying repeated pledges to reform..

Nice White Parents

The New York Times | Serial Productions

Through the prism of one school in Brooklyn, this podcast series made the case that progressive, well-meaning white parents play a critical role in perpetuating the lack of racial equity in New York City’s public schools.

Prone

KUSA 9News Denver & Chris Vanderveen with A.J. Lagoe

Predating the George Floyd case, this series from Investigative reporter Chris Vanderveen probed into cases where people died in police custody after they were kept too long in the prone position, contrary to law enforcement training. 

The Heist

Center for Public Integrity

A forensic review of the 2017 Tax bill, The Heist managed to be both an informative and wildly entertaining podcast series, navigating Republican donor shakedowns; high wire Congressional deal making; Steve Mnuchin, trickle-down-economics, and airline industry bailouts.

Why Police Reform Fails

Reveal from the CIR | PRX | Missouri Independent | St. Louis American

In a lesson for the #BlackLivesMatter movement across the country, this podcast followed a Ferguson, Missouri activist who discovered that the real key to reforming the police is to help change who has political power over them.

Congratulations to the 2022 duPont-Columbia Award Finalists!