Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Cleo Krejci wins Center for Integrity in News Reporting award
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Cleo Krejci is the winner of the 2025 Center for Integrity in News Reporting award for her investigation into the staffing crisis straining Wisconsin's rapidly growing assisted living industry.
Krejci accepted the award at a ceremony at the Library of Congress on May 6.
The award was created in 2024 with the mission of growing public trust in news by celebrating exemplary journalism that demonstrates fairness, integrity and impartiality.
Cleo Krejci
Krejci, who covers workforce development for the Journal Sentinel through Report for America, was inspired by her own experience working as a direct caregiver. What she witnessed formed the basis of her investigative project, "The Gray Zone."
Supported by a grant from the Gerontological Society of America, Krejci delved into hundreds of state reports and interviewed more than 50 workers, families, nurses, researchers and others.
She found that over the past 20 years, the number of assisted living beds has doubled, but the number of complaints has tripled. Caregivers told Krejci they were thrown into the job without preparation, putting themselves and residents in danger and fueling a vicious cycle of turnover.
"When Cleo joined our team, she wasn't sure what to do with all she had seen and experienced as a caregiver," said Greg Borowski, executive editor of the Journal Sentinel. "We encouraged her to follow the story and dig deeper. She did so with determination, empathy and integrity, always centered on telling the story with care and heart."
"That's what we ask all of our reporters to do every day: Be essential. Be connected. Make a difference in our community," Borowski said.
Krejci's reporting on assisted living has earned a number of other distinguished honors.
Krejci was also named a Goldsmith Award semifinalist, one of the top awards in journalism, and a Livingston Award finalist, which honors journalists under 35. Livingston Award winners will be announced in June.
Her project was also a finalist for a prestigious Investigative Reporters and Editors Award. Judges called it an "important and empathetic" investigation that "significantly serves the public interest."
Krejci's reporting also took second place in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association's inaugural A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism and third place in the National Headliner Awards in the public service category.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Reporter Cleo Krejci wins Center for Integrity in News Reporting award
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