Video: Short form

2011 Casey Medals

Winner: "Big Problem, Low Priority," KCTV5-TV (Kansas City, Mo.)
By Dana Wright, Ken Ullery and Chris Henao

The “Big Problem” series powerfully illuminates the plight of homeless children in one county beset by a long list of social ills. The stories were engaging, even shocking: The average age of homeless children there is 7, poor students are taxied long distances to school. Moreover, there was nothing gimmicky about the reporting or the production values. Today, that fact alone qualifies as a “fresh take.”

 

Runner-Up: "How the SEED School is Changing Lives," CBS News 60 Minutes
By: Jeff Fager, Bill Owens, Claudia Weinstein, Byron Pitts, Ruth Streeter, Jonathan Schienberg, Joseph Murania, Gregory Andracke, Sean Healey, Bert Canaie, Everett Wong, Jay-Me Brown and Aaron Weisz

CBS News takes us on a tremendously well-produced tour of something in education that’s working, and could serve as a model in other parts of the country. Reporter Byron Pitts shows the conviction of those providing this unique education and the sheer willpower of the children who know they have been given a tremendous opportunity to succeed.

 

Honorable Mention: "Families Battle Obesity in Mississippi," PBS NewsHour
By: Betty Ann Bowser, Bridget DeSimone and Lea Winerman

The two-part series demonstrates a very solid if, not masterful, example of enterprising journalism. PBS NewsHour travels to Mississippi to demonstrate graphically two problems—a fatty everyday diet and a distinct preference for fatty foods—that help drive the obesity crisis. The level of fact-finding is obvious and the level of reporting high.

2010 Casey Medals

Winner: “Back from the Brink: A grandchild comes home,” KING 5 Television (Seattle)
By Susannah Frame, Kellie Cheadle, Steve Douglas and Mark Ginther

Washington state law is clear: If a parent has been declared unfit to raise a child, relatives must be considered before foster care. So why was Alexis Stuth placed in foster care rather than with the grandparents who had lovingly helped raise her? The KING 5 team laboriously pieces together a slew of evidence, including trails of canceled checks, internal state e-mails and court orders, to expose how the state’s child welfare system made a big mistake. The project not only helped inspire a heartwarming reunion between the Stuths and their granddaughter, but also led to proposed legislation – the Alexis Stuth Act – which presumes that placement with relatives is in the best interest of the child.

Winner: “Texas Have-Nots,” KRIV FOX 26 (Houston)
By Greg Groogan, Mark Muller, Carolyn Mungo and Tom Doerr

Three distinct, beautifully shot stories about the challenges faced by children and our misplaced priorities about what deserves public and federal attention. The unique look into the seats of Bus 4203 shows how one school is trying to ensure that its students remain on track amid swelling rates of homelessness. The story on school expenditures exposes blatant violations of the Americans with Disability Act and reveals how a child in a wealthy school district can be among the “have-nots.” A piece on the military’s denial of therapy for autistic children of service members speaks to the complex issues affecting thousands of military families. The videos showcase superb storytelling, footage and editing.

Runner-Up: “Is Anybody Listening?” KCET-TV (Los Angeles)
By: Karen Foshay, John Larson, Alberto Arce, Michael Bloecher, Joe Whiting and Bret Marcus

A revealing look into the emotional strains the recession has placed on children. The piece lets the students tell their own stories, and then takes the viewer inside their homes to witness how difficult their lives really are. The donations, awards and attention from President Barack Obama elicited by the project provide a promising response to the question, “Is anybody listening?”

Honorable Mention: “Choosing Thomas,” The Dallas Morning News
By: Sonya N. Hebert, Brad Loper, Ahna Hubnik and Leslie White

It is evident that great time and effort were undertaken not only to earn the trust of a family facing a difficult decision, but also to accompany them through every step of their painful journey. The use of video and still photos masterfully tells the heartbreaking story through the eyes and voice of the courageous parents.

 

2009 Casey Medals

Winner: "Signs of Injustice," KOLR-TV
By Angie Weidinger

This is an example of local television at its best, helping real people who do not deserve terrible treatment and cannot advocate for themselves. Sade Lopez, a 15-year-old boy, was trapped in a nursing home for the elderly and mentally ill – simply because he was deaf. Because the state of Missouri would not allow Weidinger to interview Lopez as a minor, she literally waited three years for him to grow up. The power of her work and her tenacity is admirable.

Runner-Up: "Swimming Lessons," KARE News
By: Boyd Huppert and Jonathan Malat

A remarkable story about teen suicide, using the example of one young athlete who seemed to have it all. It is compelling, compassionate and effective without being exploitative. It would have been easy to have simply done a story and ended it there, but the additional step of having suicide prevention counselors available to talk to viewers illustrates the station’s commitment to the community.

2008 Casey Medals

Winner: "In Harm’s Way," KHOU-TV
By Jeremy Rogalski, Chris Henao, Keith Tomshe and David Raziq

KHOU should be lauded for pressing a public records request and then pursuing the faces behind the numbers. Well-researched, thoroughly documented, the stories reveal racial bias and other flaws in the state’s child protection system. The station deserves credit for investing the time and effort over months to nail down the story and the series sparked new government oversight and agency action.

Runner-Up: "Stop Snitchin’," CBS News 60 Minutes
By: Anderson Cooper, Andy Court, Keith Sharman, Jeff Fager, Patti Hassler, Debbie De Luca Sheh, Daniel J. Glucksman and Jonathan Schienberg

This piece highlights an institutional and cultural norm that is at odds with our system of justice. Good efforts were made to tell all sides of the story and to humanize the issues presented with a tangible example.

Honorable Mention: "Drilling for Dollars," WJLA-TV
By: Roberta Baskin, Sandy Bergo, Pete Hakel, Richard Martin and Kelly Lanzara

This is an important story told in an authoritative voice that evokes sympathy for Small Smiles’ victims and disgust toward its management. Those who have come forward to expose the systematic abuse are to be commended for their courage as the I-team deserves recognition for their tenacity and skill in reporting

Honorable Mention: "Feeding Hungry Children in the Ozarks," KSFX News
By: Angie Weidinger and Lex Smith

The story looks not only at the problem of childhood hunger, but also at the solutions. The station followed up with a town hall meeting, which was met with great community response.

2007 Casey Medals

Winner: "Special Ed -- Broken Promise?" KRIV-TV
By Greg Groogan, Mark Muller and Aprille Meek

KRIV did a masterful job telling a story that illustrates the tension between what special education children need and what school systems are often willing to provide – a topic routinely dismissed as "too hard to tell." The team took on a Texas school system and reported the difficulty faced by some parents who sought a “free and appropriate” education for children who need special education. Eschewing the glitz or flash of a “special report,” KRIV showed enterprise in reporting on American education.

Runner-Up: "Community in Crisis," WATE-TV
By: Don Dare and Dave Wignall

WATE’s exploration of the deplorable living conditions of a trailer park in Kentucky revealed the trailer park’s unfathomable ‘rent to own’ contracts and examined the role of the owners, city and lawmakers to ensure improvements.

Honorable Mention: "Changing the Odds," The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
By: Linda Winslow, Susan Dentzer, Murrey Jacobson, Liz Callan, Bob Hartman and Lete Childs

This report provides a solid medical explanation of the type of leukemia 4-year-old Tara Koon battled and explains the immense significance of clinical trials, in which more than half of child cancer patients are treated.

2006 Casey Medals

Winner: "10,000 Children a Month," WISH-TV (Indianapolis)
By Mary McDermott and Ron Nakasone

McDermott and Nakasone’s four-part series on the Indiana foster care system begins with a harrowing scene: Police and caseworkers have come to the home of woman who has tested positive for drug abuse. In the dark of the night, they carry the woman’s child away. The harrowing part is not just the removal, it’s the underlying reality: A shortage of foster care homes means the caseworkers are not sure where this child will end up.

Runner-Up: "Sabrina's Law," CNN
By: Sanjay Gupta, Michael Simon, Ryan Butler, Drew Levinson, Sharona Schwartz

This is a powerful, well-told and well-produced story about food allergies, an issue that viewers may not even realize they should care about.

2005 Casey Medals

Winner: "Cries for Help," WTHR-TV (Indianapolis)
By Angie Moreschi, Bill Ditton, Gerry Lanosga

While the topic of this investigation is not new -- the evidence of incompetence in a state's child protection services agency -- the level of reporting, storytelling, professionalism and determination in pursuing the story single it out. It did what great public service journalism is supposed to do -- shine a light on a failed system and force high-level officials to pay attention and make changes, including filing criminal charges. The reporting team took on the state agency and never let go.

Runner-Up: "Suffering for a Smile," KUSA-TV 9 News (Denver)
By: Deborah Sherman, John Foshold, Nicole Vap

Through diligent use of FOIA and solid reporting, KUSA opened the door on dental practices that appeared positively medieval: youngsters tied to papoose boards during treatment until they vomited or urinated, multiple caps and root canals performed in a single office visit and finger marks on the throat of a toddler. The children's injuries were used to further the story about a problem that needed to be fixed.

2004 Casey Medals

Winner: "Safe Housing--Denied!" WATE-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.)
By Don Dare and George Mitchell

WATE-TV investigates conditions at a mobile home community where mostly Mexican families are subjected to substandard and unsafe living conditions. This crusading story of how slumlords are protected by legal loopholes reveals the limits of government protection for those in privately owned housing. This poignant story raises a timely social issue.

Runner-Up: "The Crusade Continues," WPMI-TV (Mobile, Alabama)
By: Bruce Mildwurf and Mike Corry

Through the touching stories about Nick Dupree and Patrick Morris, WPMI furthers its investigation of Alabama Medicaid rules that require disabled young adults to leave home-based care and enter nursing homes at age 21.

2002 Casey Medals

Winner: "Nick's Crusade," WPMI-TV (Mobile, Alabama)
By Bruce Mildwurf

An original, moving piece of journalism that explored a little-known policy quirk with a major impact: Alabama’s Medicaid coverage requires disabled youths to move into out-of-home nursing care once they reach 21. Refusing to succumb to television's chronic memory lapses, Mildwurf continued to follow the battle of Nick Dupree for months, to the state capital and even to Washington, D.C. He captured the larger picture without ever losing the drama of Dupree’s plight. Finally, it appears the piece had impact: several legislators are proposing bills to address the problem exposed by the piece.

Runner-Up: "A Boost For Safety," WLS-TV (Chicago)
By: Roz Varon

This piece gets high marks for informing the public about a clear hazard in an intelligent way: the dangers of using adult seat belts for children who have graduated from toddler car seats. The individual characters were compelling and their stories were well told.

Honorable Mention: "Girl Scouts Beyond Bars," WGN-TV (Chicago)
By: Sylvia Jones and Allison G. Payne

An effective profile of the Girl Scouts’ program to connect girls with their imprisoned mothers.

2001 Casey Medals

Winner: “The Cost of Living,” Dateline NBC
By Andy Court and John Hockenberry

Moving but not maudlin, this report tackles a very significant social issue, bringing to life the complex problem of uninsured families with passion but fairness. Well-written and produced, the broadcast weaves together well-chosen case studies to illustrate larger themes, rather than —as is so often the case in television newsmagazines — mere storytelling that ignores broader relevance and social import. The program treated each family with respect and compassion, without pity or condescension. A fine work of social conscience that honors the heart and head.

Runner-Up: “The Roots of Rage,” ABC News Primetime Thursday
By: Roberta Gordon and Diane Sawyer

A fascinating inside look at family dysfunction seen through the unblinking lens of the videocamera. This broadcast is clearly and engagingly presented, original and creative.

 

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.