IRE names Phil Meyer Award winners

Three major investigative reports that used social science research methods to expose thousands of medical professionals who exploit Medicare for more money, shine a light on the growing gap between the rich and poor in the U.S., and uncover the tactics of Washington’s shadowy world of “political intelligence” firms were named Thursday as winners of the 2013 Philip Meyer Journalism Award.

First place is awarded to “The Prescribers” by Tracy Weber, Charles Ornstein, Jennifer LaFleur, Jeff Larson and Lena Groeger of ProPublica. After reviewing four years of Medicare prescription records, the team found that the drive to get drugs into patients’ hands overshadowed monitoring safety.

Second Place is awarded to Reuters’ “The Unequal State of America” by Deborah Nelson, Kristina Cooke, David Rohde, Himanshu Ojha and Ryan McNeil. This team of reporters offered startling insight into the nature of inequality in the United States and the role played by government in exacerbating or alleviating it.

Third Place is awarded to “Leaky Washington” by The Wall Street Journal’s Brody Mullins with Susan Pulliam, Tom McGinty, Michael Rothfeld, Jenny Strasburg, Scott Patterson and Christopher Weaver. For a year, the team delved deeply to reveal the extent of insider information provided sometimes unwittingly by the federal government to eager Wall Street traders.

The Meyer Award recognizes the best uses of social science methods in journalism. The awards will be presented on March 1 in Baltimore at the 2014 Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference. The first-place winner will receive $500; second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200, respectively. T