Columbia University
ESPN’s critical look at youth football “Outside the Lines: Youth Football Concerns” was among the winners of the 2014 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, which were announced Wednesday. From the awards list:
This important investigation added to the growing body of coverage about concussions and football with stories that graphically illustrated the problems and featured exclusive interviews with those involved in the controversies. ESPN’s reporting had an impact by identifying abuses and policy gaps as well as prompting an 18-month police investigation into corruption and gambling.
Ironically, ESPN chose not to be part of that “growing body of coverage” when it disassociated itself from the documentary “League of Denial” earlier this year, reportedly under pressure from the NFL.
Among the other duPont winners: The Center for Investigative Reporting for its “Broken Shield” series and its participation in the “Rape in the Fields/Violación de un Sueño” investigation; “This American Life” for its “Harper High School Parts 1 and 2” stories; and KMGH-TV for a series on police handling of rape kits.
