The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication won the 3M Truth in Science Award in the Online News Association (ONA) 2024 Online Journalism Awards.
The 2024 Online Journalism Awards recognize the best digital journalism across numerous categories, including visual storytelling, collaborations, AI innovation, social media engagement and climate reporting.
Student reporters at the Howard Center took the award in the Small/Medium Newsroom category for “Lithium Liabilities,” an investigation that examined the impact of lithium mines on America’s water supplies. The award comes with a $3,500 prize.
“Lithium Liabilities” gained national attention after its release in January, when the project aired on PBS NewsHour and ran in USA Today.
“We’re immensely proud of the work of the Howard Center faculty and students,” said Cronkite Dean Battinto L. Batts Jr. “This honor from the Online News Association reflects recognition from the media industry that the Howard Center is a model of impact and collaboration.”
The Howard Centers at ASU and the University of Maryland also finished as finalists for Excellence in Collaboration and Partnerships, and Excellence in Visual Digital Storytelling in the Large Newsroom category for “Lethal Restraint: An investigation documenting police use of force.” The investigation was a joint project with the Howard Centers, FRONTLINE (PBS) and The Associated Press, with students filing thousands of public information requests to law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and analyzing the results of police arrests that turned deadly.
The Howard Centers at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland were established in 2018 under grants from the Scripps Howard Fund to advance deeply researched watchdog journalism and train the next generation of investigative reporters. The Centers honor the legacy of Roy W. Howard, former chairman of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain and a pioneering news reporter.