Republic wins prize for wildfire investigation
Reporting took stock of vulnerable towns
The Arizona Republic on Thursday was awarded the second annual Victor K. McElheny Award for local and regional science journalism for a 2019 examination of the ongoing risk of deadly wildfires in the American West.
The honor comes from the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT.
The Republic’s “Ahead of the Fire” analyzed data about millions of acres and thousands of small communities across the West to measure how vulnerable — and unprepared — they may be for wildfires like the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people in Paradise, Calif., and surrounding areas.
Judges praised the investigation for taking a local issue and showing “why it was relevant to everyone in the country.”
Judges noted that Republic reporters Pamela Ren Larson and Dennis Wagner, now at USA TODAY, told a heartwrenching story of how mismanaged emergency alert systems, evacuation constraints, and other factors created the conditions for a catastrophe in Paradise. The work was edited by Michael Squires, the Republic’s investigative editor.
The team worked with a team of developers and data journalists within the USA TODAY NETWORK, identifying more than 500 towns across the West that have even higher wildfire hazard potentials.
Reporters and photographers from network newsrooms visiting high-risk communities across the West, and the full report included work from the Kitsap Sun, Salem Statesman Journal, Redding Record Searchlight, Palm Springs Desert Sun, Great Falls Tribune and Fort Collins Coloradoan.
Republic photojournalist Thomas Hawthorne led the visual efforts, coordinating photography and video from the newsrooms across the West.
Wagner, Hawthorne and Squires were part of the Republic’s team that won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2018.
The Republic earlier this week won the 2020 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, one of journalism’s most prestigious honors.
Judges also lauded the project for its rigorous reporting, compelling storytelling, and inventive data journalism.
“They pushed the envelope,” said one panel member. “It took what was not only an Arizona issue and a California issue and explained why it was relevant to everyone in the country.”
The public response to the reporting was immediate and sweeping.
Fire agencies sought to explore the data, while regulators and other government entities sought to use it to inform their own decision-making.
“We are proud to honor this exceptional series from the Arizona Republic,” said Knight Science Journalism Program director Deborah Blum. “The stories not only illuminate an important issue but do so in a way that serves multiple smaller communities in the West. It’s a reminder that local and regional science journalists are still doing outstanding and important work, deserving not only of this award but of support and praise from all of us.”
In addition to “Ahead of the Fire,” judges honored three other entries as finalists, including “Arizona’s Next Water Crisis,” also published by The Republic.
That series by Ian James and Rob O’Dell, with video and visuals by Mark Henle, explored how a lack of regulation of water wells is threatening the livelihood of the state’s rural families. O’Dell also was the lead reporter for the Goldsmith Prize award.
The other two finalists for the science award were the The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, also part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, and The Boston Globe.
Named after the Knight Science Journalism Program’s founding director, the Victor K. McElheny Award was established to honor outstanding coverage of science, public-health, technology, and environmental issues at the local and regional level. The winning team will receive a $5,000 prize.