NLIHC's Annual Media Awards recognize print journalists who make a dedicated effort to inform the public about the inequities in housing and to add to the understanding of the disparities between the well-housed and the poorly or un-housed in a community, and to encourage journalists who do not normally cover low income housing issues to do so.

2015 Honorees

The NLIHC 2015 Media Award goes to Mikel Livingston and Steven Porter from the Lafayette Journal & Courier for their news series, “The Great Chicago Migration Myth.” 

“The Great Chicago Migration Myth” analyzes a long-held belief in Lafayette, IN that thousands of low income black families, after receiving housing vouchers as a result of the demolition of public housing in Chicago beginning in 1999, packed up their belongings and migrated to Lafayette, bringing with them increased crime, drug use, and burdens on local social services. “The Great Chicago Migration Myth” combines personal interviews with analysis of census data presented in compelling graphs and charts to demonstrate that the supposed mass influx of Chicago’s displaced poor to Lafayette is largely myth. The data show that most residents stayed in Chicago after their housing complexes closed.  Livingston and Porter suggest that the beliefs and arguments about the migration lack substantive evidence and are based on racial and social fears. 

The article can be found at:  http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2014/10/17/truth-black-white/1729381…;

Previous Honorees

2014 Honorees

Liz Rogers, Denise Bachman, Jon Stevens, Karen Mansfield, Barbara Miller, Jim McNutt, Katie Roupe, and Mallory Rogers of The Observer-Reporter  for their investigative series “No Place to Call Home” and their dedicated effort to inform the public about the inequities in housing and to add to the understanding of the housing disparities in our communities

2013 Honorees

In 2013 NLIHC awarded Nikole Hannah-Jones and Jeff Larson of ProPublica will receive the 2013 Media Award for the series, “Living Apart: Fair Housing in America.” 
    
“Living Apart” is an investigation into housing discrimination and housing segregation in the United States, as well as into the shortcomings of past fair housing laws. In addition to feature stories, the series uses maps, reader interaction and other tools to highlight the nation’s continued struggle with housing discrimination. The series includes 13 articles to date. Some of the 2012 stories include:

  • “How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civil Rights Law” (October 28, 2012)
  • “Discussion: What Should Communities Be Doing To Further Fair Housing?” (November 1, 2012)
  • “Soft on Segregation: How the Feds Failed to Integrate Westchester County” (November 2, 2012)
  • “Mapping Segregation in Westchester” (November 13, 2012)

As the lead author of the series, Nikole Hannah-Jones will accept the 2013 Media Award at NLIHC’sHousing Policy conference on Monday, March 18. The award will be presented by MSNBC Host Melissa Harris-Perry at the morning plenary.

Ms. Hannah-Jones joined ProPublica in late 2011. Prior to that she worked at The Oregonian, where she exposed significant shortcomings in the enforcement of fair housing laws in Portland, eventually prompting officials to draft the city’s first fair housing plan. Hannah-Jones is a three-time winner of the Society of Professional Journalists Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Award.

Click here to read “Living Apart: Fair Housing in America." 

2012 Honoree

In 2012, NLIHC honored Katy Reckdahl of the New Orleans Times-Picayune for her ongoing coverage of housing and homelessness issues in her community. Katy has covered New Orleans since 1999 and has had a long time and respected working relationship with NLIHC’s press efforts. Katy’s stories cover public and Section 8 housing, homelessness, and how New Orleans cultural institutions are affected by city or police policy. She has won numerous awards, including a Casey Journalism Center Medal, the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, and the Press Club of New Orleans's Alex Waller Memorial Award for best print entry for three years running.

In 2011 alone, Ms. Reckdahl wrote over 30 news stories on the Housing Authority of New Orleans and the personal experiences of low income New Orleans residents. All of Katy’s work is also available online at www.nola.com.   2011 Honoree

“Priced Out: High Rents Drive Housing Crisis"
by Anne Danahy, Chris Rosenblum, Ed Mahon, Sara Ganim, and Lauren Boyer, Centre Daily Times (State College, PA)

2010 Honoree
“Chronic Homelessness in Dallas"
by Kim Horner, Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX)

2009 Honorees

First Place:

“Public Housing Left Behind - Housing the Poor” 
by Ramit Plushnick Masti, Associated Press (Pittsburgh, PA) 

“Halfway to Homeless” 
by Elizabeth Ryan, Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga, TN)  

“Section 8: Subsidizing Suburbia” 
by Gregory Korte and Jane Prendergast, Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH) 

Honorable Mention:

“The War Against Affordable Housing” 
by Bob Shaw, St. Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN)

“Foreclosures Hidden Victims - The Tenants” 
by Carolyn Said, The San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA)

“Housing Shortage Dire in Post-Katrina New Orleans” 
by Katy Reckdahl, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)

2008 Honorees

"Sewage Pipe Exposes Rotten Predicament" 
by Greg Mellen, Long Beach Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA)

"First Things First" 
by Florence Graves and Heather Hadar Sayfan, Sunday Globe (Boston, MA) 

"A Home, No Matter How Humble” 
by Colin Asher, The San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA)

"Sheltered in Shadows” 
by Michael Shea, The Modesto Bee (Modesto, CA)

“Behind the Meltdown" 
by Dale Kasler, Jim Wasserman, Phillip Reese and John Hill, The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA)

In addition, a collection of articles on the subprime mortgage crisis by the staff of The Wall Street Journal received special recognition.

2007 Honorees

Single Story: Daily Newspaper (circ. less than 100,000)
First Place: “High prices for dismal housing” 
by Greg Mellen, Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA)

Single Story: Daily Newspaper (circ. above 100,001)
First Place: “Priced out of paradise” 
by Jocelyn Wiener, The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA)

Honorable Mention: “Houses affordable for everyone” 
by Michelle Derus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)

Single Story: Non-Daily Newspaper or Magazine
First Place: “Lost Among the Ruins” 
by Brendan Smith, Legal Times (Washington, D.C.)

Honorable Mention: “A Tale of Two Center Cities” 
by Violet Law, Pittsburgh City Paper (Pittsburgh, PA)

Series of articles: Daily Newspaper (circ. less than 100,000)
First Place: “The Other Side of the Housing Boom” 
by Greg Kane, The Record (Stockton, CA)

Honorable Mention: Untitled series
by Michael Daigle, The Daily Record (Parsippany, NJ)

Series of articles: Daily Newspaper (circ. above 100,001)
First Place: “House of lies” 
by Debbie Cenziper, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)

Honorable Mention: “Lead’s dangerous legacy” 
by Sharon Coolidge, The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH)

Honorable Mention: “Homeless on the Wai’anae Coast” 
by Will Hoover and Rob Perez, The Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, HI)
 
Series of articles: Non-Daily Newspaper or Magazine
First Place: “Throwaway Kids” 
by Joe Piasecki, Pasadena Weekly (Pasadena, CA)

Honorable Mention: “Broken Promises” 
by William Selway, Martin Z. Braun and David Dietz, Bloomberg News (New York, NY)