An investigation the Center for Public Integrity produced with Scripps News has won a Gracie Award in recognition of the country’s best work “created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment.”
“Attacked Behind the Wheel” found a “disturbing pattern of workplace violence in an industry that has tried to recruit more women but failed to protect them from sexual assault.” The project had immediate impact, including the opening of a criminal investigation.
The project included both a Scripps video documentary and Public Integrity long-form reporting that journalists from both organizations worked on together. The team included Public Integrity Senior Reporter Alexia Fernández Campbell, Public Integrity editor Mc Nelly Torres, Scripps’ Claire Malloy and Jennifer Smart and independent journalist Natasha Del Toro.
“Investigating sexual violence against female truck drivers is one of the hardest assignments I’ve ever had,” Fernández Campbell said. “I’m proud of the work we did with Scripps News to bring these women’s stories to light and to hold federal agencies accountable for their weak oversight of trucking apprenticeship programs.”
“Editing this important investigative project was one of the most gratifying experiences I had as an editor at Public Integrity last year,” Torres said. “How this story was crafted became an important goal for us because we wanted the final product to do justice to the survivors.”
Related Article
Attacked behind the wheel
Public Integrity and Scripps News, previously known as Newsy, have collaborated before, including on an award-winning 2018 investigation, “Blowout,” that showed how the U.S.’s fossil fuel exports were fueling global climate change.
The Gracie Awards were named after the late actress Gracie Allen and focus on women who are making positive change and who further the discussion of what a fulfilling career in media looks like.” They are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media, which was founded in 1951 as the American Women in Radio and Television, originally an offshoot of the National Association of Broadcasters.
Public Integrity’s journalists have been recognized with numerous honors in recent months, including the Sigma Award recognizing the world’s best data journalism, the Shaufler Prize for reporting about underserved people, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing’s “Best in Business” awards and the Signal Awards recognizing the country’s best podcasts.
Founded in 1989, the Center for Public Integrity is one of the oldest nonprofit news organizations in the country and is dedicated to investigating systems and circumstances that contribute to inequality in the United States.