WSJ, “Frontline” win Bingham Prize for Indian health service coverage

Matt Murray, editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal, sent out the following announcement:

Dear All,

An enthusiastic, if virtual, round of applause is due to our colleagues who yesterday won the 2019 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism, awarded by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, for the “Forsaken by the Indian Health Service” investigation by the Journal and PBS’s “Frontline.”

This was difficult and time-consuming reporting of major moral force and deep rigor that exposed genuine wrongdoing, is driving important change and reminds us all of the very real impact powerful journalism can have on peoples’ lives. From a profile of one pediatrician who was allowed to practice on Indian reservations despite repeated allegations of sexual abuse, the story grew to reveal a much broader set of failures by the IHS that left vulnerable populations in the care of alleged child predators and other doctors who posed serious risks to patients. The work sparked a presidential task force, multiple federal investigations and policy changes at IHS. It also was recognized by many Native Americans who noted that the failures of IHS had long been ignored.

The WSJ team included reporters Christopher Weaver, Dan Frosch and Anna Wilde Mathews; video journalist Gabe Johnson; researcher Lisa Schwartz; and graphics editor Joel Eastwood. It was led by the intrepid and persistent deputy investigations editor, Jennifer Forsyth. The WSJ worked closely with a PBS team led by “Frontline” executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath.

Deepest congratulations and thanks and a Zoom toast to them all. We look forward to the day we can celebrate in person.

Matt