Cronkite students earn prestigious 2025 RFK College Journalism Award
Cronkite students earn prestigious 2025 RFK College Journalism Award
Students reporting for Cronkite News and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication were honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award for college journalism, recognizing a powerful investigation into compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
This marks the eighth RFK Award earned by Cronkite School students. Last year, the Carnegie-Knight News21 initiative, headquartered at the Cronkite School, earned the RFK Awards Grand Prize.
"I'm very excited to see this important project get this prestigious recognition," said Cronkite School Dean Battinto Batts, Jr. "It is yet another example of the excellent and impactful work produced by our students and faculty, and it is in keeping with the Cronkite School mission."
The reporting, published by Cronkite News in June 2024, examined compliance with the federal NAGPRA law and sparked significant community and governmental response. The investigative series prompted Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to propose a $7 million allotment toward improving repatriation processes statewide, underscoring the journalism's impact
"As students of the Cronkite School, we learned so much about the issue, its history and about what it truly meant to do this story justice and serve the community," said Chad Bradley.
"As a student, stepping into investigative journalism carries a heavy responsibility, especially when it's your first time," said Chistopher Lomahquahu, who said he learned an important lesson about the power of journalism. "As an Indigenous journalist, having the chance to do meaningful reporting as a student meant being able to represent my community and bring attention to stories, like those involving NAGPRA."
The students contributing to the project included Mia Berry, Chad Bradley, Sam Ellefson, Aspen Ford, Christopher Lomahquahu, Madison Perales, Reagan Priest and Eshaan Sharup – all now graduates of the Cronkite School's Master of Arts in Investigative Journalism.
"The reporting team pursued this story with grit and tenacity because they cared deeply about the topic and believed important civil rights issues like NAGPRA got too little attention," said Ken Foskett, a visiting professor at the Cronkite School. "As their instructor, I couldn't have asked for a better lesson in the transformative power of journalism and a free press."
Learn more about all the award winners.