CNN report helped kick-start sweeping VA changes.
Two national news outlets and “America’s newspaper” received The American Legion’s Fourth Estate Award on Sept. 3 during the 97th National Convention in Baltimore.
The award has been presented annually by the Legion since 1958 for outstanding achievement in the field of journalism. Nominations were considered in three categories: print, broadcast and new media (Internet).
Taking top honor in the new media category was the CBSNews.com team of Ben Eisler, Mark Strassmann, Len Tepper, Eric Bloom, Ryan Kadro and Chris Licht, with their series “Tapping into Controversial Back Surgeries.” The report, which was also broadcast on “CBS This Morning,” included data that showed the number of spinal fusions performed per doctor nationwide. The information was used to identify and investigate outliers, and found that some had been banned or suspended from hospitals or had settled lawsuits alleging unnecessary surgeries. A broad analysis also indicated that a small group of doctors was responsible for a disproportionate number of these procedures. Shortly after the story aired, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General began to use the data as a starting point and aid for their own investigations.
USA Today took the top honor among newspapers. In his three-part series “Fugitives Next Door: Crossing State Lines to Freedom,” senior investigative reporter Brad Heath found significant flaws within police and prosecutors’ offices in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia and other states reconsidering – or, in many cases, reversing – decisions to let thousands of fugitives avoid arrest by crossing state lines. His report found that almost 200,000 fugitives – including more than 3,300 people accused of sexual assaults, robberies and homicides – escaped justice merely by crossing a state border. Heath gathered data for every community in the United States, enabling readers to type in a county name to check just how often their police won’t pursue fugitives across state lines.
CNN was recognized as the best among the broadcast nominees. During its yearlong investigation into delays in care at Veterans Affairs hospitals, senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin exposed a widespread national crisis within the VA health-care system, eventually leading to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, the passage of federal legislation and a fundamental change in how veterans’ medical appointments are made, recorded and reported. The series “Crisis at the VA” has led to sweeping changes within the agency that are still being felt across the country.
Previous winners of the award include “Dateline NBC,” C-SPAN, United Press International, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The Indianapolis Star, The Detroit News, Fortune magazine, ABC News and Life magazine. Learn more about the Fourth Estate Award here.
- Convention