The 2016 Excellence in Economic Reporting Award, Asbury Park Press

The 2016 Excellence in Economic Reporting Award will be presented to Asbury Park Press for their game changing series “The Property Tax Crisis.” The multi-part investigation into state and local property tax policy and spending practices fundamentally altered the tax discussion in the New Jersey State Legislature and directly spurred much needed change for New Jersey citizens by encouraging electoral activism and government accountability.

The 2016 Clark Mollenhoff Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting, Reuters

The 2016 Clark Mollenhoff Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting will be awarded to reporters Koh Gui Qing, John Shiffman, Clare Baldwin and Kristina Cooke of Reuters for their contributions to the series “The Long Arm of China.” Published last fall, Quing and Shiffman’s investigation of covert Chinese propaganda broadcasts around the world was the first news report to reveal the broad scope of such state-sponsored efforts and cover-ups. The series shed light on the use of front companies and corporate restructuring practices that allowed Chinese state media to hide the nature of its involvement with international broadcasts. Since the series’ publication, action has been taken by the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct their own investigations into Chinese actions. Baldwin and Cooke’s reporting exposed the true extent of Chinese influence on United States institutions, such as the Hollywood film industry. Through their investigation of internal emails between Sony Pictures employees, the team was able to paint a picture of how China’s censorship and influence affect the global entertainment industry.

The 2016 Institute on Political Journalism Collegiate Journalism Award, Elizabeth Elkin

The 2016 Collegiate Journalism Award will go to Elizabeth Elkin from The Crimson White. Her report, “Behind Closed Doors,” on the experience of a victim of sexual assault on the University of Alabama campus did much to shed light on the issues of victim mischaracterization, shaming and the common mishandling of sexual assault situations by police and other authorities.