Cronkite School Announces Winners of Inaugural Shaufler Prize in Journalism

From a story on cronkite.asu.edu headlined “Cronkite School announces winners of Inaugural Shaufler Prize in Journalism contest”:

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University announced the winners of the 2020-2021 Shaufler Prize in Journalism, which recognizes the best journalism in the country that advances the understanding of stories and issues related to underserved people in society, such as communities of color, immigrants and LGBTQ+.

The winning journalists will split $20,000 in cash awards in the professional and student journalist categories.

Toluse Olorunnipa and Griff Witte, along with the staff of The Washington Post, won first place for their story, “Born with Two Strikes: How systemic racism shaped Floyd’s life and hobbled his ambition,” which was part of the series, “George Floyd’s America.” The series examines the role of systemic racism in Floyd’s life, and the institutional and societal roadblocks Floyd encountered as a Black man.

Olorunnipa is a Nigerian-American journalist and political commentator whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald and other publications. He is also an on-air contributor to CNN.

Witte is a national correspondent at The Washington Post, covering a range of issues across America that includes racial justice, political polarization and urban affairs. Prior to his current role, he was a longtime foreign correspondent and editor, having reported from dozens of countries and having served as the Post’s bureau chief in Kabul, Islamabad, Jerusalem, London and Berlin.

Lizzie Presser of ProPublica took second place with “Tethered to the Machine,” which tells the story of JaMarcus Crews, who tried to get a new kidney, but corporate healthcare stood in the way. Presser covers health, inequality and how policy is experienced.

Maria Perez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel received third place for “The Long Way Home” about migrant workers at a Wisconsin green bean plant dying of COVID-19. Perez is an investigative reporter covering issues that affect minority communities and social services.

Mauricio Rodríguez Pons of ProPublica received honorable mention for his video “Unlivable Oasis,” which examines the intersection of climate change, the struggle to find livable housing, and the climate gap between poor and rich communities.

In the student category, the Cronkite School’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism took the top prize for “Little Victims Everywhere.” Students Brendon Derr, Rylee Kirk, Anne Mickey, Allison Vaughn, McKenna Leavens and Leilani Fitzpatrick reported and produced the series, which examines child sexual abuse in Indian Country.

Paul B. Anderson, the principal & CEO of Workhouse Media in Seattle, Washington, established The Shaufler Prize in Journalism in honor of his late friend, Ed Shaufler, who died in late 2020 and who cared deeply about promoting understanding of underrepresented people.