Latest news with #TheGrayZone
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters take top honors in national journalism contests
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel journalists have been recognized with six National Headliner Awards for their work in investigative, enterprise and digital journalism. The competition is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic excellence. Reporter Jessica Van Egeren won first place for health and science writing for her investigation into the death of Baby Amillianna, who was born with a treatable condition at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's hospital in Milwaukee but died 30 hours later. Van Egeren, who is also an assistant breaking news editor, revealed gaps in care and communication and how Wisconsin's malpractice laws can leave grieving families without recourse to address negligence in the health care system. Judges called her reporting a "searing look at pregnancies where poor expected outcomes interact with legal issues." Other Journal Sentinel reporters honored at the National Headliner Awards include: Reporter Rick Barrett and photojournalist Mark Hoffman won third place in the newspaper series category for "Bringing It Home," an in-depth look at the resurgence of American manufacturing. Reporter Mary Spicuzza won third place in the investigative reporting category for "My Cousin Augie," an investigation into the decades-old car bombing murder of her cousin. Spicuzza, multimedia producer Bill Schulz and USA TODAY reporter Gina Barton also won third place in the digital narrative podcast category for "My Cousin Augie." Reporter Cleo Krejci won third place in the public service category for for "The Gray Zone," an investigation into Wisconsin's assisted living industry. Reporters Tamia Fowlkes, Quinn Clark and Gina Castro won second place in the journalistic innovation category for Public Investigator, a watchdog reporting team at the Journal Sentinel specializing in chasing readers' tips and questions. "Every day our team at the Journal Sentinel, our team sets out to tell the most important story of the day -- and to tell it in a way that makes a difference," said Executive Editor Greg Borowski. "This recognition, which covers the work of journalists from across our newsroom, underlines that commitment." Meanwhile, several Journal Sentinel reporters have also been honored in other contests in 2025 for their remarkable work. Reporter Natalie Eilbert won second place in the Katherine Schneider Award, which recognizes excellence in disability coverage, for her series about the denial of long-term disability benefits for those with mental health conditions. The award is administered by the National Center on Disability and Journalism, which is part of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Barrett and Hoffman, along with Milwaukee PBS, also won honorable mention in the explanatory division of the prestigious SABEW Best in Business awards for their "Bringing it Home" project. Journal Sentinel reporters Vanessa Swales, Drake Bentley, Laura Schulte and Ashley Luthern and Appleton Post-Crescent reporter Kelli Arseneau also won first place in the Wisconsin News Association's inaugural A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism for their coverage of Wisconsin's prison crisis. Krejci won second place for her reporting on assisted living facilities. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Journal Sentinel reporters take top honors in journalism contests
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Journal Sentinel's coverage of prisons, assisted living wins Wisconsin investigative reporting award
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel took top honors at the inaugural Wisconsin A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism, securing both first and second place for its impactful reporting. The awards were announced April 25 by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. First place went to a reporting team of Journal Sentinel reporters Vanessa Swales, Drake Bentley, Laura Schulte, Ashley Luthern and Appleton Post-Crescent reporter Kelli Arseneau. The team was honored for its efforts covering Wisconsin's prison crisis, shedding light on inhumane conditions within the state's correctional facilities through a combination of investigative reporting and day-to-day coverage. The team closely followed the lockdowns at the state's prisons, documenting the impact on people who lacked access to fresh air, visitors, or educational programming for months on end. Swales and Bentley also investigated a series of troubling deaths and suicides at Waupun Correctional Institution. Later, several leaders and workers at the prison were charged in connection to some of those deaths. Judges praised the reporting team for shedding light on a situation "that has been begging for clear-sighted attention for decades." "The public generally doesn't want to hear about – or care much about – the lives of the incarcerated but this series brought inhumane conditions into daylight where they couldn't be ignored,' the judges wrote. 'The quality of journalism and quality of presentation in this series were of the highest quality." Journal Sentinel reporter Cleo Krejci earned second place for "The Gray Zone," an in-depth look into the challenges faced by residents and staff within Wisconsin's assisted living facilities. Judges called the series "compelling" and "powerful." They also commended Krejci's first-person story describing her own experiences working as a direct caregiver. "At the Journal Sentinel, we work every day to make a difference in our community," said Executive Editor Greg Borowski. "Often that difference comes through deep, complicated, sustained reporting on key issues. This award recognizes that powerful work and is a reflection of our commitment to investigative journalism." The A-Mark Prizes are awarded by press clubs in numerous states to recognize excellence in investigative reporting. In Wisconsin, the competition was judged by a panel of retired journalists and representatives from the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Journalists Bill Schanen IV and Kristyn Halbig-Ziehm of The Ozaukee Press took third place for their entry "Microchip Plant." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Coverage of Wisconsin prisons, assisted living wins state investigative reporting award
