Nondaily
2009 Casey Medals
Winner: "Long Highland," Long Island Press
This is the epitome of public service journalism. The Long Island Press made a commitment to educating its community about a growing heroin epidemic among young people. The team simultaneously reveals a hidden scourge and a disturbing truth about the community at large. The series exposes wrongdoing and deception by school administrators, who stonewalled the reporters and put their schools’ reputations above student health. Readers see the problem from all angles – through the eyes of kids, parents, schools and cops. The story did what the best stories do: It galvanized an entire community to take action.
Runner-Up: "Who’s Your Daddy?" Dallas Observer
A revealing examination of Texas’ child support system: Many men, mostly poor ones, are forced to pay child support for children they did not father. While Feldman fairly points out the state’s nationwide recognition for enforcing child support laws, she deftly explores the many troubling questions that could have simply gone unasked. Has the state railroaded poor, uneducated men into financial hardship? If Texas receives federal funds based in part on the amount of child support that it collects, is there a budgetary incentive to close these cases? And what happens to the men whose rights are trampled?
Honorable Mention: "To Hug a Porcupine," New Times Broward-Palm Beach
The piece exposes a tragic adoption scenario: In an effort to place three brothers, Florida’s Department of Children and Families concealed the traumatic sexual abuse endured by the boys. The adoptive parents wanted to create a family and make a difference in the world but in the end, it’s their world that is upended. The piece is well-crafted, suspenseful and packed with rich detail. Funcheon weaves classic narrative with superb reporting.
2008 Casey Medals
Winner: "Stolen Youth," Independent Weekly
This is the strain of journalism that elevates the profession: crusading and authoritative, passionate and clearly told. Secret exposes gaping holes in the investigation and prosecution of a 15-year-old robbery suspect, any number of which would undermine judicial fairness. High-impact coverage of an increasingly common story of miscarried justice.
Runner-Up: "Blame It on Becca," Seattle Weekly
A riveting account of what happens when well-intentioned laws designed to prevent truancy hurt the very kids they were designed to protect. Hsu takes a complicated subject and streamlines it through the life of one student.
Honorable Mention: "Faith, Hope...and Charity," Westword
Readers hunger for hopeful stories – this one addresses that longing without sacrificing the sorrowful backdrop that makes a 9-year-old’s optimism in the face of adversity even more inspiring.
Honorable Mention: "You Do the Meth," Westword
An insightful look at the forgotten victims in the drug wars – the children.
2007 Casey Medals
Winner: "Dreams Deferred," The Independent Weekly
The reporter conveys the complexities involving Derrick Steele’s struggles to overcome addictions to find meaningful, legal work through a Durham jobs program. Secret also shows how the program falters through lack of funding and commitment, leaving participants unsteady and on the edge.
Runner-Up: "They Could Be Citizens and They Might Be Deported," Seattle Weekly
Shapiro offers a disturbing glimpse inside a deportation system that rips families apart and treats immigrants – some of whom might be U.S. citizens – as if they were convicted criminals.
Honorable Mention: "Flunk’d," Phoenix New Times
Fenske’s clear-eyed probe of a school devoted to homeless children reveals its failure to provide them with a good education; she constructed a convincing case for closing it.
about this award
The Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism recognize exemplary reporting on children and families in the U.S. More than 4,500 journalists have competed for Casey Medals since 1994.