Recipients
2023
ProPublica won the award for its series which examined Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ decades long friendship with real estate tycoon Harlan Crow and raised questions about influence and ethics at the nation’s highest court, won in the print/online-division I category. ProPublica’s Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg contributed to the series.
2022
The joint documentary "" between FRONTLINE and the AP chronicles how Russian forces and their leaders targeted civilians in Bucha during the weeks after the initial invasion. In addition, the documentary provided in-depth historical and geo-political context on what constitutes a war crime. It also included compelling profiles of the victims and reported on the details of the investigations into what happened to them during the initial invasion and occupation.
2021
(ICIJ), and media partners for – The global investigation involved more than 600 journalists at more than 140 news outlets in 117 countries. It prompted 20 investigations, toppled multiple governments around the world, and led to anti-money laundering reform in the U.S.
2021 recipients who came to OHIO to speak:
- Will Fitzgibbon and Scilla Alecci, ICIJ
- Debbie Cenziper and Ziva Branstetter, The Washington Post
Judges' comments: "The mammoth undertaking has been widely hailed as the largest journalistic collaboration in history. Its revelations had a global impact. Several governments were brought down. The disclosures prompted at least 20 official investigations. The scope, complexity and impact of the Pandora Papers is breathtaking."
2020
Note: As of 2020, this prize—for the first time—recognized both national and international reporting.
The 68th Scripps Howard Awards honored the best of 2020 journalism with a virtual show on April 21.
Daffodil Altan, Andrés Cediel, and Maria José Calderón received the 2020 Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize for Excellence in National/International Investigative Reporting for the PBS FRONTLINE production "COVID's Hidden Toll."
2019
Craig Whitlock, of The Washington Post, was the recipient of the 2019 prize for "The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War," which detailed a behind-the-scenes assessment of the Afghanistan War.
2018
The reporting team at Reuters won the 2018 award for "Myanmar Burning," covering the expulsion of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
2017
The reporting team at The New York Times received the 2017 award for “Harassed,” the catalyst for an ongoing reckoning about sexual harassment and abuse, secret settlements and lack of accountability.
2016
The reporting team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution received the 2016 award for “Doctors & Sex Abuse,” an investigation into tolerance of sexual abuse by physicians nationwide based on the discovery that, in two-thirds of sexual abuse cases, Georgia doctors were allowed to keep their medical licenses.
2015
The reporting team at BuzzFeed News received the 2015 award for "Fostering Profits," an investigation that identified deaths, sex abuse, and blunders in screening, training and overseeing foster parents at the nation's largest for-profit foster care company.
2014
A reporting team at Arizona Republic won the 2014 award for its series “Scandal at the VA,” which uncovered mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs and led to reforms that will improve service to ailing veterans.
2013
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was the 2013 winner of the prize for its series “Deadly Delays,” which uncovered mismanagement of infant blood tests at hospitals nationwide.
2012
The 2012 winner was Spencer S. Hsu, of The Washington Post, for his series "Forensic Science." Hsu exposed the Justice Department's use of flawed forensic science in more than 20,000 criminal cases, culminating in two men being declared innocent and new investigations by Congress and the FBI.
2011
The 2011 winners were Danny Hakim and Russell Buettner, of The New York Times, for their series “Abused and Used.” Their year-long investigation of more than 2,000 state-run homes for the developmentally disabled has led to much-needed reforms and added oversight.
2010
The 2010 winners were Marshall Allen and Alex Richards, of the Las Vegas Sun, for their five-part series “Do No Harm: Hospital Care in Las Vegas,” which lifted the veil of secrecy around widespread medical errors and infections contracted at local hospitals.
2009
The 2009 winners were Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News for “Tainted Justice,” which exposed routine abuse by police of people without the means to defend themselves.
2008
The 2008 winners of the prize were Rob Barry, Jack Dolan and Matthew Haggman of The Miami Herald. In a six-part series entitled “Borrowers Betrayed,” these three reporters and editor Mike Sallah exposed more than 10,000 mortage brokers with financial crime convictions who had been selling mortgages for Miami condos since 2000.
2007
The 2007 winners of the prize are Walt Bogdanich and Jake Hooker of The New York Times for their series on a “toxic pipeline” of diethylene glycol across four continents, which prompted regulatory responses.
2006
The 2006 winners of the Prize were Charles Forelle, James Bandler, Mark Maremont and Steve Stecklow of The Wall Street Journal for their series on questionable stock-option practices of corporate executives.
2005
For its four-part series “Guardians for Profit,” The Los Angeles Times reporting team of Robin Fields, Evelyn Larrubia and Jack Leonard won the 2005 Farfel Prize. Their series examined the work of California ‘s conservators – professional guardians who manage the affairs and assets of older adults –and uncovered abuse of older citizens by those charged with their protection.
2004
Tracy Weber, Charles Ornstein, Mitchell Landsberg and Steve Hymon of the Los Angeles Times won the 2004 prize for their five-part series investigating the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center. The team spent a year investigating the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center after continuing problems there. Their investigation revealed not just a series of isolated tragedies—patients dying and injured by neglect and misdiagnosis —but a pattern of bad medicine endemic to the hospital.
2003
The winners of the inaugural award were staffers from The Asbury Park Press for their 38-page, eight-part series "Profiting from Public Service." The joint investigation by the Asbury Park Press and six other Gannett New Jersey newspapers found that those who made the laws in Trenton had systematically changed and exploited the rules to ensure that they and their friends would reap the spoils of victory under the guise of public service. The prize was accepted by Paul D’Ambrosio and Richard “Skip” Haliday.