The New England Newspaper & Press Association proudly honors the Rhode Island journalists recognized with A-Mark Prizes for Investigative Journalism at the Fall Leadership Conference on September 26, 2025. Their reporting demonstrates how rigorous local journalism can uncover hidden risks, demand accountability, and give voice to those most affected by government action—or inaction.

Funded by the A-Mark Foundation—a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to strengthening investigative reporting—the A-Mark Prizes celebrate in-depth, fact-based journalism that exposes wrongdoing and spurs reform. Each year, up to $15,000 in awards is available in every New England state to highlight work that protects the public’s right to know.

This year’s Rhode Island winners produced a remarkable range of investigations—from exposing preventable data vulnerabilities in the state’s public-benefits system, to revealing new insights into domestic murder-suicides, to documenting the human impact of federal funding cuts on local workers and research institutions.

🥇 1st Place

Alexander Castro — Rhode Island Current
“RI Bridges Data Breach”

When Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee abruptly announced a cyberattack on the state’s computer systems in December 2024, the scope was staggering: the personal data of nearly 650,000 residents—almost 60 percent of the state’s population—had been exposed. While most outlets focused on the breach’s aftermath, Rhode Island Current reporter Alexander Castro dug deeper, uncovering how state-posted technical documents may have left the system vulnerable months earlier.

Through careful review of procurement records, Castro discovered a 25-page request for proposals that included a full schematic of the RIBridges system architecture—a blueprint effectively published on the state’s website. Acting responsibly, he alerted officials, verified that the file was removed, and only then published his exposé. His reporting revealed state oversight lapses, raised new cybersecurity questions, and was praised for its exceptional professionalism and ethical rigor.

🥈 2nd Place

Mark Reynolds — The Providence Journal
“Domestic Murder Suicide”

In a deeply sensitive series, Providence Journal reporter Mark Reynolds examined how law enforcement and communities confront the tragedy of domestic murder-suicides—cases that receive limited public scrutiny because they end without prosecutions. Reporting on three such incidents in 2024 and 2025, Reynolds analyzed police reports, public records, and newly obtained body-camera footage to explore how transparency and trauma intersect when the justice system’s usual mechanisms fall away.

His work broke new ground by revealing footage of a domestic-violence victim expressing fear for her safety just weeks before her death—the first time Rhode Island journalists had obtained such material under the state’s new body-camera policy. Praised by advocates for highlighting red flags, risk factors, and firearm access, Reynolds’s work reframed how the public and policymakers understand the warning signs of lethal domestic violence.

🥉 3rd Place

Jack Perry — The Providence Journal
“Lost Jobs, Trump Cuts”

Providence Journal reporter Jack Perry connected national policy decisions to the lives of Rhode Islanders in his coverage of the Trump administration’s federal budget cuts. He profiled the sudden layoffs of 14 employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Warwick office, revealing the personal toll of the cuts and the essential services the office provided. His persistence led to a follow-up story documenting that the workers were later reinstated.

Perry also examined how reductions to the National Institutes of Health threatened Rhode Island’s research economy—analyzing lawsuits, official filings, and testimony from hospital administrators at institutions such as Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, and Women & Infants Hospital. By translating complex funding issues into human terms, he helped readers grasp the broad economic and scientific stakes of Washington’s policy decisions.

These Rhode Island journalists exemplify the best traditions of investigative reporting: courage, care, and commitment to the truth. Their work not only informed the public but also challenged institutions to do better. Congratulations to all of this year’s A-Mark Prize winners for advancing transparency and accountability across the Ocean State.

The National Press Club and the Institute are now accepting applications for all 2026 scholarships. Each year, more than $30,000 in funding is awarded to student journalists at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Join the Institute from 11 a.m. to noon ET on Friday, Dec. 12, for an inside look at what makes an application exceptional. The session will take place via Zoom; registration is open now.

Opportunities are available for high school, college, and graduate student journalists:

• The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to a high school senior. The award can be renewed for up to three years at $5,000 per year.
• The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $5,000 to support a high school senior who wishes to pursue a career in journalism.
• The Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship supports diversity within broadcast journalism. The scholarship is $5,000 awarded to a student who demonstrates a commitment to a career in broadcast journalism. The award can be renewed for up to three years.
• The Lewis Scholarship provides housing and a monthly stipend to support student journalists of color with newsroom internships in Washington, D.C., during the summer semester.
• The Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship recognizes a journalism graduate student with a one-time scholarship of $5,000.
• NEW: The Rich Passan Sports Writing Scholarship is a $5,000 award supporting undergraduate college juniors or seniors who demonstrate excellence and promise in sports journalism.

The deadline for all 2026 applications is Sunday, March 1, at 11:59 pm ET. Click here to apply.

The New England Newspaper & Press Association is proud to recognize the Massachusetts journalists and student reporters honored with A-Mark Prizes for Investigative Journalism at our Fall Leadership Conference on September 26, 2025. These awards celebrate impactful reporting that uncovers injustice, demands accountability, and deepens public understanding of critical issues across the Commonwealth.

Funded by the A-Mark Foundation—a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to supporting investigative reporting—the A-Mark Prizes honor ambitious, deeply researched journalism that exposes hidden truths and advances public awareness. Each year, up to $15,000 in awards is available in every New England state to highlight work that protects the public’s right to know.

This year’s Massachusetts honorees delivered powerful investigations that informed readers, sparked legislative attention, and in some cases led directly to change.

🥇 1st Place

Hadley Barndollar — MassLive
“Pill Presses”

MassLive reporter Hadley Barndollar spent 10 months uncovering a new and largely unreported threat in the opioid epidemic: the proliferation of pill presses used to manufacture counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine. Her series began with the death of PJ “Peach” Goldenberg, who unknowingly took a fake oxycodone pill made with a pill press likely operating in Massachusetts.

Barndollar reported how drug dealers across the U.S. began producing counterfeit pills themselves—often inside residential homes—to increase profits. She revealed how easily pill presses can be purchased online and demonstrated this by buying one legally from China for $600. Her reporting exposed the scale of the problem, highlighted the voices of grieving families and concerned neighbors, and pressed lawmakers to act. Following her series, multiple state legislators introduced bills aimed at regulating pill presses and reducing their deadly impact. A DEA official called the work “outstanding” and noted the issue had been largely unreported before.

🥈 2nd Place

Maggie Mulvihill & Boston University Journalism Program
“When House Members Travel”

In an ambitious, semester-long investigation, Boston University journalism students and professors exposed how members of the U.S. House of Representatives accepted nearly $4.3 million in privately funded travel since 2012—often bringing family members at no personal cost. Working in collaboration with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, the BU team analyzed more than 17,000 trips, building their own database to reveal how over $1.4 million in travel expenses were spent on spouses, children, grandchildren, and other relatives.

Their reporting identified two dozen “frequent fliers” who brought family members on nearly 44% of their trips, staying in luxury accommodations and dining at expensive restaurants—without reporting the value as income, as required by tax law. Ethics experts called the practice an “egregious abuse” of congressional travel rules designed to curb the influence of special interests. The investigation, which won a national IRE student investigative journalism award, exemplifies the power of academic journalism to inform the public and hold elected officials to account.

🥉 3rd Place

Greta Jochem — The Republican
“Highview Nursing Home”

Reporter Greta Jochem exposed systemic neglect inside Highview of Northampton, a nursing home long known to state regulators for dangerous conditions—but largely unknown to the families who entrusted loved ones to its care. A former state elder affairs secretary described the facility as “notorious,” saying it “should have been shut down a long time ago.”

Through interviews with residents and analysis of federal and state oversight data, Jochem revealed chronic understaffing, substandard care, and repeated violations that made Highview one of the most heavily fined nursing homes in Massachusetts. Her reporting gave a voice to vulnerable seniors and highlighted how oversight systems failed to act in time. Just three months after her coverage, Highview’s owners announced the home would close—an outcome that underscored the impact of her work.

These stories represent the very best of Massachusetts journalism—fearless investigation, meticulous reporting, and an unwavering commitment to the public interest. Congratulations to all of this year’s A-Mark Prize winners, whose work shines a light on the issues that matter most to our communities.

The New England Newspaper & Press Association is proud to highlight the Connecticut journalists honored with A-Mark Prizes for Investigative Journalism at our Fall Leadership Conference on September 26, 2025. These awards celebrate extraordinary reporting that brings accountability, transparency, and reform to the forefront of public life.

The A-Mark Prizes—funded by the A-Mark Foundation, a nonpartisan nonprofit supporting investigative reporting—recognize ambitious, deeply researched journalism that exposes hidden truths, challenges the powerful, and helps audiences better understand the complex issues shaping their communities.

Each year, up to $15,000 in awards is available in every New England state to highlight work that protects the public’s right to know.

This year’s Connecticut recipients exemplify the purpose of the A-Mark Prizes—courageous, impactful journalism that informs and empowers communities. Please follow the links to read the award-winning work.

Connecticut Winners

🥇 1st Place

Jenna Carlesso, Dave Altimari, Katy Golvala & Andrew Brown — The Connecticut Mirror
“Priced Out”

The Connecticut Mirror’s yearlong investigation into the state’s long-term-care insurance industry exposed how soaring rate hikes and lax oversight left thousands of older residents facing financial hardship. Reporters uncovered a pattern of exorbitant premium increases—some exceeding 150%—alongside questionable business practices, executive bonuses tied to price hikes, and political inaction at the Capitol. The team built original data analyses and reviewed more than 700 consumer complaints, revealing how systemic failures have jeopardized care for Connecticut’s aging population. The series sparked widespread public outrage and inspired more than a dozen reform bills aimed at protecting policyholders and increasing accountability within the insurance industry.

🥈 2nd Place

Marc E. Fitch — CT Inside Investigator
“Power Struggle”

Senior Investigative Reporter Marc E. Fitch exposed a major power controversy inside Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), revealing that its chairwoman secretly issued thousands of decisions under another official’s name—adding millions to ratepayers’ bills. His reporting uncovered self-investigations, withheld evidence, and backroom political maneuvers surrounding the chair’s reappointment and an attempted last-minute legislative change that would have legalized her actions. The series prompted lawsuits from the state’s largest utilities, legislative scrutiny, and widespread public debate about transparency and accountability in state regulation.

🥉 3rd Place

Dave Altimari & Ginny Monk — The Connecticut Mirror / ProPublica
“On the Hook”

This joint investigation by The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica uncovered how a century-old Connecticut law allowed towing companies to seize and sell thousands of vehicles without owners’ consent—often targeting low-income residents. Reporters revealed that the Department of Motor Vehicles approved these sales with minimal oversight, that cars were routinely undervalued to skirt legal thresholds, and that proceeds from sales were never returned to the state or rightful owners. The team’s data-driven reporting exposed systemic abuse, including a DMV employee profiting from insider deals. Within days of publication, state leaders announced an internal review, and lawmakers passed sweeping reforms to overhaul Connecticut’s towing laws.

These stories represent the very best of Connecticut journalism—fearless investigation, meticulous research, and an unwavering commitment to public service. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners whose work shines a light on the issues that matter most to New England communities.