Looking back at T&G’s top local stories for 2023
Inside the print edition of today’s Telegram & Gazette, you’ll find a special section highlighting some of the outstanding work that has been done throughout the USA TODAY Network, which includes the T&G.
The year 2023 was my first full year as executive editor in Worcester, and as I think back on the past 12 months I am proud of many big stories we covered, as well as our enterprise and investigative reporting work. Following are a few of the stories that I’ll remember most. I’d like to thank you, the readers, who make the work that we do possible:
Investigation finds racial profiling data skewed in Mass.
A months-long investigation led by reporters Brad Petrishen of the T&G and Jeannette Hinkle of the Cape Cod Times found that police across Massachusetts have for years routinely labeled men with Hispanic surnames as white on traffic citations, therefore skewing statistics that can expose bias in traffic stops. Their stories also cast doubt on a taxpayer-funded report that the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security released, which suggested racial profiling wasn’t a concern.
City on fire: Climate change reporting
The T&G’s Henry Schwan was part of a team of East Coast reporters who investigated the far-reaching effects of climate change, and local communities’ attempts to grapple with these issues. It was an unusual year in Worcester – a year without a single heat wave, thanks in part to an unusually high amount of rain, but a year that ended with the highest average temperature on record. Henry’s reporting not only raised the alarm over the prospect of higher heat deaths in Worcester but also