WFPL's Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting received several top honors in the annual Green Eyeshade awards contest, which recognizes the best journalism in the southeastern United States.
The newsroom won awards in three categories -- radio, online and public service -- for three different projects. Reporter R.G. Dunlop was involved in each award-winning series.
In the radio investigative category, Dunlop and WFPL Reporter Jacob Ryan took first place for their "No-Jail Jailers" series, a collaboration that exposed the state's wasteful, nepotism-laced jailer system.
Dunlop's "Trouble Behind Bars" series, which revealed preventable jail deaths that provoked little to no follow-up as well as failures at all levels of government, earned a first place honor in the radio public service category.
For the top online investigative reporting category, KyCIR earned second and third place awards. Dunlop's exclusive reports on the Carrollton Police Department's banishment of a mentally ill man to Florida received a second place nod, and his jail health care stories earned an additional award.
"These awards are further evidence that independent watchdog journalism is alive and well in Kentucky," said Lousiville Public Media President Donovan Reynolds, who created the investigative newsroom less than three years ago. "They recognize the growing impact and relevance of the work of KyCIR at a time when quality investigative journalism is needed more than ever."
Last year, the newsroom won two Green Eyeshades, a contest administered by the Society of Professional Journalists. The awards honor the best journalism in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.