The Indiana Publisher

Page 15 April 2021 IndyStar's investigation into Indiana nursing homes has earned one of just two medals awarded this year by the world's leading organiza- tion for investigative journal- ism. Investigative Reporters & Editor announced Monday it has selected "Careless" for an IRE medal, which is the highest honor the organization bestows upon investigative journalism. IRE judges also named "Careless" as the top investigative effort of 2020 for news organizations of IndyStar's size. The 18-month-long exami- nation was reported and writ- ten by investigative reporters Tony Cook, Tim Evans and Emily Hopkins. "We couldn't be more hon- ored or more proud to have our work recognized in this way and on a national level," said Alvie Lindsay, IndyStar's news and investigations director. "Tony, Tim, Emily and their editor on this project, Steve Berta, did some amazing work over the course of this investi- gation. "Given everything that hap- pened this year, it's pretty hum- bling to know that this project has stood out in the minds of judges." There's no higher purpose as a journalist than to relentlessly examine issues that impact the health, safety and future of our community's most vulner- able, IndyStar Executive Editor Katrice Hardy said. "The reporters and Steve Berta as well as our digital and visuals team pursued this issue aggressively and purpose- fully, and I'm so happy that their investigative work has been recognized with such high praise," Hardy said. "Careless" was previously named one of 10 finalists in the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation's awards for journalism and research. "Careless," which also featured work by IndyStar visual journalists Mykal McEldowney, Jenna Watson, Robert Scheer and Kelly Wilkinson, previously won an EPPY Award from Editor and Publisher Magazine for "Best Investigative/Enterprise Feature." It also is one of two IndyStar investigations to be named among the six finalists for the prestigious Goldsmith Prize for investigative journal- ism. The other IndyStar finalist is "Mauled: When Police Dogs are Weapons" — a joint proj- ect with The Marshall Project, AL.com and the Invisible Institute that scrutinized the use of police canines and featured work by IndyStar investigative reporter Ryan Martin and visu- als journalist McEldowney. All six Goldsmith finalists receive $10,000 awarded to the journalists. The winner, which will be announced April 13, receives $25,000. "Mauled" was previously named one of three finalists for the Scripps Howard award for international and national investigations. "It's been an amazing year for our investigative work," Lindsay said. "The recogni- tion we continue to receive is deeply appreciated. That said, awards are not the motivation. What drives us is the desire to expose injustice and hold accountable those who have the power to affect the quality of life of people in our com- munity." The practice left Hoosiers with some of the worst nurs- ing homes in America as the COVID-19 pandemic struck and contributed to hundreds of deaths that likely could have been prevented with better staffing. To complete the story, IndyStar reporters filed more than 60 public records requests, analyzed years of federal nurs- ing home data, and scoured thousands of pages of nurs- ing home inspection reports, wrongful death claims and court filings. They also spoke with dozens of family members whose loved ones had suffered in dangerous facilities. The series led to the resig- nation of the leader of Marion County's public hospital sys- tem. In December, Gov. Eric Holcomb pledged to overhaul the state's eldercare system. This is the third time in the past five years that IndyStar's work has been honored by IRE. IndyStar's investigation of USA Gymnastics and child sexual abuse was among the top award winners in the 2016 awards. That investigation received the Tom Renner award for criminal justice reporting for detailing the scope of child sexual abuse in gymnastics and the failure of Indianapolis- based USA Gymnastics to immediately report allegations of such abuse to authorities. A year later, "Code of Silence," an investigation by Evans and Martin that exposed the crippling effect of witness intimidation on Indianapolis' criminal justice system, was named a finalist for the Renner award. Cathy King holds an album of wedding pictures with her husband, Greg Robinson, on Dec. 4, 2019. Robinson died in 2015 after complications that allegedly arose from improper care. Photo by Robert Scheer, IndyStar. View the story at https://bit.ly/2QpSbIf. IndyStar nursing home investigation wins IRE Awards medal What started as a tip about Indiana's largest nurs- ing home system led an investigative team at the Indianapolis Star to expose how public hospital offi- cials in Indiana exploited the Medicaid program's lax oversight to take bil- lions of dollars in federal money meant to go to nurs- ing homes and divert them to build shiny new hospital facilities. In some cases, hospital executives took home large compensation packages while diverting the money. Read The Journalist's Resource breakdown of how the story was done at https:// bit.ly/3nbjlhY. How they did it: Indianapolis Star reporters uncover how billions in nursing home Medicaid dollars were diverted to county hospitals

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