"Abuse of Faith"
Recipient of the STAR INVESTIGATIVE REPORT OF THE YEAR award in The Charles E. Green Awards (2019)
Staff Writers
Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News
Judge’s Comments:
In its multipart and multimedia series "Abuse of Faith," the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News broke open a major sex abuse scandal in the Southern Baptist church that produced immediate results. By exposing what the church's pastors and leaders had long ignored or buried, the series gave voice to scores of aggrieved victims who for decades had been silenced. The series was equal parts accountability and watchdog reporting, and the database a true example of service journalism, built with readers in mind. It also was a gift to newsrooms across the country, as it gave dozens of news organizations a credible source on which to build their own important local stories. National publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, followed the explosive reporting by the HC/SAEN, and the SBC moved quickly to approve various reforms. It cannot be overstated that "Abuse of Faith" is exactly the kind of hard-hitting, agenda-setting investigative journalism that all newsrooms across America should be doing.
Jamie Stockwell
Deputy National Editor
The New York Times
Judge’s Bio:
Jamie Stockwell is a deputy national editor at The New York Times. She previously was the managing editor of the San Antonio Express-News, where she oversaw newsroom’s daily operations for print, digital and mobile audiences. Her career began at The Washington Post, where she wrote primarily about criminal justice. Jamie was raised in the Rio Grande Valley and is a 1999 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
To read the prize-winning investigative report from the Houston Chronicle, click on the links below:
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