Public Integrity reporters’ operate honored amongst finest information journalism in globe – Center for Public Integrity

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Investigative reporting by Center for Public Integrity journalists about student homelessness and the legacy of pollution in communities of colour was recognized amongst the finest information journalism in the globe on Friday at the 2023 Sigma Awards.

Senior reporter Yvette Cabrera’s operate on the toxic legacy of lead contamination in American cities though a journalist at Grist was recognized with a Sigma Award as 1 of the 11 finest information journalism investigations in the globe, 1 of only 4 from the U.S. to make the list. The final installment of that project, seeking at options, will be published by Public Integrity and Grist this month.

“Unhoused and Undercounted,” an investigation by Public Integrity information journalist Amy DiPierro and senior reporter Corey Mitchell in partnership with The Seattle Occasions, Street Sense Media and WAMU/DCist, produced the Sigma Awards’ shortlist, amongst the 60 finest information journalism investigations in the globe out of 638 entries. They utilised a ground-breaking comparison of federal education information to show that regional college districts undercounted extra than 300,000 homeless students across the nation and failed to deliver solutions as essential by federal law.

Unhoused and Undercounted

Federal law demands that public schools help homeless students to support break what could turn into an inescapable cycle of hardship. But a lot of of the students who want that help fall by means of the cracks.

“We’re excited for the recognition in an inspiring year for information journalism,” mentioned Public Integrity editor Jamie Smith Hopkins, the lead editor on the Unhoused and Undercounted project. “A strong information evaluation can support individuals repair challenges, fight discrimination and reside improved lives.”

Cabrera’s series, in collaboration with Grist senior information reporter Clayton Aldern, constructed on her years of meticulous testing for lead in the soils of Santa Ana, California.

“Soil lead contamination is a pervasive, unsafe challenge in urban centers all through the United States, however mainly because lead particles are invisible, this threat is tough to pinpoint, specifically the hot spots that endanger the wellness of so a lot of young children in low-earnings neighborhoods and communities of colour,” Cabrera mentioned. “What’s most rewarding is how the neighborhood of Santa Ana has galvanized about this concern and pressed the city for action, resulting in a 2022 basic program update that pledges to address this toxic threat.”

Public Integrity, a Pulitzer Prize-winning nonprofit news organization that confronts inequality by means of investigative reporting, partners with hundreds of regional news organizations across the nation. That involves collaborative investigations, editing, coaching, mentorship and access to information sets and analyses that support regional journalists expose inequity and hold strong interests accountable.

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Months prior to publishing Unhoused and Undercounted, Public Integrity shared its information evaluation with regional journalists across the nation and offered a reporting toolkit and workplace hours to support them apply the investigation to troubles facing homeless students in their regions.

Public Integrity journalists routinely share know-how about information journalism, investigative reporting and confronting inequality with business peers. Cabrera is president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and has helped make applications to enhance the quantity of reporters of colour covering environmental troubles. 

Earlier this month, Public Integrity announced that it had acquired and will develop The Accountability Project, an revolutionary platform that enables journalists to search 1.eight billion public records and counting, as nicely as organize resulting information for evaluation in reporting. It has been utilised in award-winning and impactful accountability journalism across the nation.

Founded in 1989, the Center for Public Integrity is 1 of the oldest nonprofit news organizations in the nation and is devoted to investigating systems and situations that contribute to inequality in the United States.

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