Video: Short form

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.