South Florida Sun Sentinel journalists won second place at the fifth annual Esserman-Knight Journalism Awards for their Born to Die series investigating Florida’s infant mortality crisis.
Health reporter Cindy Goodman and photojournalist Carline Jean were honored Tuesday night for the four-part series, which analyzed state data to uncover inadequacies in maternal healthcare amid increasing restrictions on abortion, particularly among Black women, taking readers into neonatal intensive care units and the homes of struggling mothers.
The first part of the series explored Florida’s infant death rate, which is greater than the national average, and has remained unchanged for the last decade; the second part looked at the epidemic of preterm births; the third part looked at where state funding is going — and not going — to rectify these problems; and the fourth part explored whether midwives and doulas might be the solution rather than traditional healthcare.
“This kind of data-driven journalism is incredibly important, and challenging to pursue,” said South Florida Sun Sentinel Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. “Thanks to the Esserman family and the Knight Foundation for supporting investigative journalism, and recognizing that this analysis of Florida’s alarming infant mortality rate was both hard-hitting and sensitive.”
The awards, sponsored by the Esserman Family Fund for Investigative Journalism in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, recognize “some of South Florida’s most impactful investigative stories,” the Knight Foundation’s website says. Judges chose this year’s winners from 54 nominations submitted by 26 South Florida media outlets.
James Esserman, a member of the Esserman family and an OB-GYN in Miami with over 30 years of experience, presented the award to Goodman and Jean Tuesday night. As an OB-GYN, he said that he recognized the importance of the series and the need to pay more attention to infant mortality and maternal health.
“The Sun Sentinel’s powerful series investigates Florida’s rising infant mortality crisis, focusing on racial disparities, inadequate prenatal care and the consequences of the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid,” a description on the awards’ website reads. ” … This in-depth reporting and data analysis spurred responses from state health officials, philanthropists, and legislators, leading to increased investments in maternal health, expanded telehealth services, and proposed legislation to support doula training.”
The series also won the Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting at the Florida Press Club awards in February.
First place winners receive a $10,000 prize and second place winners receive $5,000.
The Miami Herald took first place on Tuesday for its Guilty of Grief series, which told the story of a mentally ill man shot by police, detailing his mother’s quest to find him treatment and for justice after his death.
Four other pieces received honorable mentions: Miami Herald reporters Ana Claudia Chacin and Clara Sophia-Daly’s series Key Biscayne’s Dark Secret, on allegations of sexual abuse by a gymnastics coach; WLRN reporters Daniel Rivero and Josh Ceballos’ series on the Miami city manager’s contracts scandal; The Real Deal reporters Katherine Kallergis, Sheridan Wall and Ellen Cranley’s investigation of allegations of sex trafficking by three luxury real estate broker brothers; and Miami Herald reporters Brittany Wallman and Sarah Blaskey’s Deal with the Devil series on how Miami-Dade prosecutors used a confessed killer as a jail informant.