The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and FRONTLINE have been awarded the 2024 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability for their reporting on the tragic mishandling of the active-shooter situation at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022.
Public Health Watch and several partner organizations won second place for “Toxic Texas Air.” The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, New York, was awarded third place for its coverage of the aftermath of the bomb cyclone blizzard in Buffalo, New York, in December 2022.
The Collier Prize, now in its fifth year, is one of the largest journalism awards and is designed to encourage coverage of state government, focusing on investigative and political reporting. Offered by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) and funded by Nathan S. Collier, the prize will be presented at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 27. Earlier this year, Collier committed $8 million to UFCJC to sustain the prize, hire a full-time director and create a new local journalism symposium.
The winning entry, “Unprepared,” included a series of articles and a FRONTLINE documentary that exposed the failures of law enforcement during the shooting, which led to the deaths of 21 people, including 19 children.
“A standout investigation into the missteps of law enforcement during one of the most horrific school shootings in recent U.S. history,” wrote one of the Collier Prize judges.
The second-place winner, “Toxic Texas Air,” by Public Health Watch and partner news organizations, revealed the state's failure to protect citizens from companies polluting the air with deadly and dangerous chemicals, particularly benzene.
The Democrat and Chronicle won third place for “Abandoned,” which reported on the government’s shortcomings before and during the December 2022 blizzard and is told through the narrative about a young woman named Anndel Taylor, who was trapped and died in her car.
“It is very gratifying to honor this important and impactful investigative journalism at the state level,” said Nathan Collier. “This is precisely the reason I wanted to fund this award, to incent this kind of critical coverage, which, we hope, will ensure continued accountability for state lawmakers.”
“The stories from these news outlets, as well as from all Collier Prize entrants, validates the need for continued scrutiny of state government activity,” said UFCJC Dean Hub Brown. “We are grateful to Nathan Collier for providing the funding to recognize this magnificent journalism, particularly as many news organizations are forced to pull back from state government reporting.”
For more information on these prize-winning stories, click here.
About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications:
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, recognized by its peers as one of the premier programs in the country, is driving innovation and engagement across the disciplines of advertising, journalism, public relations and media production and management. The college’s strength is drawn from both academic rigor and experiential learning. It offers its more than 2,500 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, The Agency, an integrated strategic communication agency, the Atlas digital media analysis lab, and in seven broadcast and digital media properties. The College is also home to the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project, and the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology.
