Sinclair’s “Project Baltimore” Wins Prestigious IRE Award
April 04 2023 - 9:22AM
Business Wire
WBFF/Fox45’s Investigative Unit Exposes
Flaws in Baltimore Public School System, Denying Students with
Disabilities a Proper Education
Fifth Consecutive IRE Awarded to Sinclair,
Fourth IRE Award for WBFF
WKRC in Cincinnati Named a
Finalist
Sinclair is pleased to announce Project Baltimore, the special
investigative reporting unit of WBFF/Fox 45 News, was honored by
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) for its reporting on
Baltimore’s public school system, exposing how Baltimore City
Schools denied students with disabilities a proper education, and
in doing so, violated their federal education rights.
This is the fourth time Project Baltimore has been honored with
an IRE Award, and the fifth consecutive year a Sinclair newsroom is
being honored.
In addition, WKRC in Cincinnati was an IRE finalist for their
investigation into a uranium enrichment plant in Southern Ohio and
the radioactive contamination, cancer and deaths in the communities
that surround it.
Established in 1979, the annual IRE Awards recognize outstanding
investigative reporting from newsrooms across the globe, with
contest entries screened and judged by IRE members who are working
journalists.
Commenting on the honor, Scott Livingston, Senior Vice President
of News said, “Being honored by our peers reinforces Sinclair's
commitment to impactful reporting with a local focus and driving
positive change within our communities. Asking questions, digging
deeper, holding officials accountable and being a voice for the
voiceless members of our community is at the core of what we do in
our content centers, and we are proud our work continues to be
recognized.”
In “Disabled & Denied” Project Baltimore shed light on the
failures of the education system, exposing how Baltimore City
Schools denied students with disabilities a proper education, and
in doing so, violated their federal education rights.
A Baltimore City mother, Latasha Phillips, came forward with
allegations of school misconduct. Her son, Qwantay Spearman, missed
the first 140 days of school at a west Baltimore high school,
because the district could not provide him with a nurse. Due to a
medical condition, Qwantay is required to have a nurse under his
federally mandated Individualized Education Program (IEP). Despite
missing 140 days of school, Qwantay’s report card showed he was
marked present 33.5 days in the first quarter and earned grades for
classes he had not attended. After the initial story aired, several
additional families came forward.
In awarding Project Baltimore, the IRE judges commented, “The
team exposed multiple examples of outright corruption, with
contractors and the school system both stealing money by falsifying
reports, all while hurting kids in the process. The stories
combined touching personal narratives with dogged reporting and
showed the profound impact that can come from sticking with a
story.”
This series resulted in multiple state-level investigations,
which found City Schools violated the rights of four students. The
state also mandated the district develop plans to better educate
all students with disabilities or risk losing funding.
“The families who come to us are desperate for help, and often
feel like they are powerless to make change,” said Carolyn Peirce,
Executive Producer of Project Baltimore. “We are thankful they
trust us to share their stories, and we remain committed to
shedding light on their experiences, in hopes of driving out
corruption and creating a better future for Baltimore City
students.”
Since its creation in 2017, Project Baltimore’s investigative
work has been recognized with dozens of honors, including four
first place National Headliner Awards, the SPJ Sigma Delta Chi
Award, a National Press Photographers Association First Place
award, and four prestigious IRE Awards. Additionally, Project
Baltimore has been named an Alfred I. duPont finalist and won
dozens of Regional Emmy Awards, six Regional Edward R. Murrow
Awards and seven Associated Press Awards.
In addition, WKRC in Cincinnati was named a finalist in the IRE
Competition for their investigative series, “Fallout,” detailing
the connection between the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
(PORTS) a massive uranium enrichment plant in Southern Ohio and
radioactive contamination, cancer and deaths in the surrounding
Appalachian communities.
About Sinclair:
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified
media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The
Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television
stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast
networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE!
and TBD; and owns and provides services to 21 regional sports
network brands. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple
platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program
distributors, and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of
local news content, NewsON. The Company regularly uses its website
as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at
www.sbgi.net.
Category: General
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Jessica Bellucci Jbellucci-c@sbgtv.com
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