Three business journalism projects received recognition in the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards.
They are:
International Outstanding Print/Online
Winner: “The Poisonous Lead Trade” — The Examination, The New York Times
by Will Fitzgibbon, Peter S. Goodman, Samuel Granados, Finbarr O’Reilly, Carmen Abd Ali, Daniel Nass, Fernanda Aguirre, Romina Colman, and Mago Torres
Judges’ comments:
“The Examination, in partnership with The New York Times, delivered a powerful, deeply reported investigation into the global export of toxic lead pollution, tracing how stricter U.S. environmental regulations pushed hazardous battery-recycling operations into vulnerable communities abroad. Through on-the-ground reporting and independent lead testing, the journalists documented contamination levels in Nigerian neighborhoods nearly 200 times higher than U.S. experts consider safe, and traced the contamination back to American companies and ports. The series did a great job of tying the issue to regular people’s lives — documenting the dilemma of needing economic survival but suffering the costs of a dirty industry in their backyards while holding companies accountable and pointing towards solutions. A refreshingly clear, thoughtful series of journalism with real impact, spurring regulatory action in Nigeria and changes in corporate behavior.”
Regional Outstanding Print/Online
Winner: “Burned” — San Francisco Chronicle
by Susie Neilson, Megan Fan Munce, and Sara DiNatale
Judges’ comments:
“In the wake of disastrous wildfires in California, the San Francisco Chronicle investigated the predatory practices of insurance companies and how they lead to underinsurance, underpayment of claims and rejection of science on the toxic risks of smoke. It also found that members of a state task force formed to propose new laws were responsible for the same anti-consumer practices. The reports exposed the flaws in an insurance world that leaves homeowners unable to fully recover from fire damage and loss.”
State Outstanding Print/Online
Winner: “Undocumented workers built Florida’s roads — and died in the process” — Tampa Bay Times
by Emily L. Mahoney and Langston Taylor
Judges’ comments:
“The Tampa Bay Times investigation of a highway contractor with lucrative state contracts connects the company’s injury and fatality rates, it’s use of undocumented workers, and an apparently cozy relationship with state officials. These are Florida officials who denounce illegal immigration but do not sanction employers who hire illegal immigrants and use the inept federal E-Verify system to essentially overlook immigration status. The story exposes apparent hypocrisy in state officials ranting about undocumented workers but looking away when favored contractors hire and exploit those vulnerable workers. This is a prime example of accountability journalism.”
See all of the winners here.
Awards will be presented at the 2026 IRE Conference in National Harbor on Friday, June 19, during the Awards Luncheon.
