The 27th Annual NIHCM Awards
The bold, high-impact NIHCM award winners of 2021 covered the early plight and shocking mortality rates among so many on the frontline in health care, food processing plants, and public services during the pandemic. Investigations looked into mental health during COVID-19 and the rapid, scientific advances against the virus, as well as research on preventing surprise emergency medical costs.
“In this 27th year of NIHCM supporting journalists and researchers, we were proud to invest more than $1 million through our Award and Grant programs and further our commitment to their important work. We commend our winners for stepping up to reveal the untold stories of the pandemic and continuing to do pioneering research.”
Nancy Chockley
Founding President and CEO, NIHCM Foundation
2021 General Circulation Journalism Award
Michael Grabell
Bernice Yeung
Photo credit: public record
NIHCM 2021 Investigative and General Reporting Award Winner
How Global Meatpacking Companies Exposed Workers and Communities to COVID-19 While Government Agencies Failed to Protect Them
Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung
Prize: $20,000
“It was gratifying to see our work influence public policy in Washington. Even more meaningful was a note we received from a nurse who had cared for the COVID-19 patients in one of our stories: ‘I will never forget these peoples’ faces, the sound of their voices...before we intubated them, speaking with their families, and of course so many of their deaths,’ she said. ‘Thank you for making them real and bringing their names and stories to the public.'”
— Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung
William Wan
NIHCM 2021 Investigative and General Reporting Award Winner
Shadow Pandemic
William Wan
Prize: $20,000
“Mental illness thrives on isolation, shame and societal disregard. I’m so grateful to the families who selflessly shared with me their moments of pain and anguish in hopes of helping others. They helped make real change possible.”
— William Wan
2021 Television and Radio Journalism Award
CBS Production Team
Andrew Bast
Photo credit: Gilad Thaler
NIHCM 2021 Television and Audio Journalism Award Winner
Bravery and Hope: 7 Days on the Front Line
Susan Zirinsky, Guy Campanile, Mitch Weitzner, CBS News Bravery and Hope team
Prize: $20,000
“There was so much bad information [in the early weeks] about COVID-19, we knew the only anecdote to the misinformation was providing a platform for nurses, administrators, patients and doctors to tell their own stories about the catastrophe they were witnessing. We were honored to give them that opportunity.”
— Guy Campanile
Daffodil J. Altan
Andrés Cediel
Photo credit: Tadashi Suarez/Frontline
NIHCM 2021 Television and Audio Journalism Honorable Mention
COVID’s Hidden Toll
Daffodil Altan, Andrés Cediel, María José Calderón, Frank Koughan, Andrew Metz and Raney Aronson-Rath
Prize: $5,000
2021 Digital Media Award
Christina Jewett
Danielle Renwick
credit: Lydia Zuraw/KHN
NIHCM 2021 Data-Driven Storytelling Award Winner
Lost on the Frontline
Christina Jewett, Danielle Renwick, Alastair Gee and the Lost on the Frontline team
Prize: $20,000
“The government wasn’t counting or investigating health care worker deaths, so journalists filled the void.”
— Elisabeth Rosenthal, KHN’s editor-in-chief
2021 Trade Journalism Award
2021 Research Award
Zack Cooper
Fiona Scott Morton
Nathan Shekita
NIHCM 2021 Research Award Winner
Surprise! Out-of-Network Billing for Emergency Care in the United States
Zack Cooper, Fiona Scott Morton and Nathan Shekita
Prize: $20,000
“After years of studying surprise billing, at the end of the day, we really just wanted to produce a paper that would help the public–to do good.”
— Zack Cooper
Congratulate our winners and share their stories! #NIHCMAwards2021
NIHCM also provides $1 million in grants each year to support the work of journalists and researchers. We invite you to learn more.
The winning entries were selected from more than 400 entries by our panels of independent judges. As is the case every year, we received many remarkable entries. Learn more about the finalists' impressive work.
Outlets
our Judges
A special thank you to our judges listed below.
2021 General Circulation Journalism Award
- Eliza Barclay
- John Carreyrou
- Ceci Connolly
- John Fauber
- Clifton Leaf
- Fred Schulte
- William Wan
2021 Television and Radio Journalism Award
- Callie Crossley
- Susan Dentzer
- Gisele Grayson
- Stone Phillips
- Alice Irene Pifer
- Julie Rovner
- Susan Wagner
2021 Digital Media Award
- Julia Belluz
- Aaron Carroll
- Christopher J. Conover
- Michael Millenson
- Alan Murray
- Sabriya Rice
- Meredith White
2021 Trade Journalism Award
- Eliza Barclay
- John Carreyrou
- Ceci Connolly
- John Fauber
- Clifton Leaf
- Fred Schulte
- William Wan
2021 Research Award
- Laurence C. Baker
- Tsung-Mei Cheng
- Sherry Glied
- Vicky Gregg
- Joseph P. Newhouse
- Mark Pauly
- Gail R. Wilensky