Chronicle investigation wins award

A Chronicle investigation that revealed hundreds of questionable arrests in California’s shelters for abused and neglected children won top honors Monday in the prestigious Investigative Reporters and Editors annual awards.

The story, called “Fostering Failure,” documented how shelter residents as young as 8 were arrested and jailed for relatively minor incidents, after calls to law enforcement by shelter staff. The contest judges called it a “heartbreaking story... (that) is both rage-inducing and depressing.” It was named best investigative story of the year in its circulation category.

Written by reporters Karen de Sá, Cynthia Dizikes and Joaquin Palomino and illustrated by photographer Leah Millis, “Fostering Failure” described criminal charges erupting from behavior such as youths smearing cake frosting on each other, overturning a board game or throwing a shoe. The story inspired proposed legislation to declare a three-year moratorium on arrests for minor misdeeds in foster care facilities.

The Chronicle was also named a finalist in the category of investigations

triggered by breaking news for a story by Palomino about how an alert system that was supposed to notify thousands of people about the oncoming Wine Country firestorm came up short. After the report, federal authorities made changes to allow more targeted alerts.

Chronicle Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper said the honors reflect The Chronicle’s determination to “do more investigative reporting on issues that matter to this region.”

“One of the most important responsibilities of any newsroom is to aggressively and unapologetically investigate wrongdoing,” Cooper said. “More important than the awards is the impact of our work, which in these cases is significant.”

Investigative Reporters and Editors, founded in 1975, is a nonprofit organization based in Columbia, Mo., that seeks to improve investigative reporting.