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Allen Siegler, mental health reporter for Mississippi Today, was awarded the Community Champion Award from the Institute for Nonprofit News for his investigation that explored how Mississippi has spent opioid settlement funds.
Allen Siegler is a Health Reporter at Mississippi Today. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
The award recognizes newsrooms “that made a significant contribution to the well-being of its community through a journalism-centered project or service,” according to the institute. For months, Siegler dug into what happened after tens of millions of dollars were awarded to the state from drug companies that had perpetuated the nation’s overdose epidemic.
He filed public records requests with 147 towns, cities and counties across Mississippi to learn how local officials chose to spend – or not spend – that money. His investigation resulted in “The Black Box,” which revealed that over three years, government officials had spent less than $1 million – or less than 1% – of funds received on measures that could directly prevent more overdose deaths.
“The approach requires a lot of work, but the methodology — following the money via public records requests — is fairly straightforward,” the institute said in a written statement. “Judges appreciated the unfussy databases and maps, and the equally unfussy vertical video summary. These strategies showed a willingness to consider all the ways audiences might interact with the material.”
