3 NBC Journalists Win Anthony Shadid Award For Journalism Ethics

A team of three NBC News reporters has won the 2024 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison for their work exposing America’s failed death notification system.

Jon Schuppe, Mike Hixenbaugh and Rich Schapiro showed how authorities in Hinds County, Miss., were unceremoniously burying the bodies of missing people without notifying the loved ones still searching for them. During their investigation, the NBC News team repeatedly came into possession of more information about the deceased than local authorities had shared with their families, requiring them to carefully navigate a range of ethical issues.

The Center for Journalism Ethics will present the award on May 6 in a ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The event will also feature a moderated conversation on journalism ethics with anchor of Inside Politics Sunday and CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju and Katie Harbath, chief global affairs officer at Duco Experts.

Named for UW-Madison alum and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid, the award honors the difficult ethical decisions journalists make when telling high-impact stories. Shadid, who died in 2012 while on assignment covering Syria, was a member of the Center for the university’s Journalism Ethics advisory board and worked to encourage integrity in reporting.

The Shadid Award judging committee lauded the extraordinary care the NBC News team demonstrated in carrying out their investigation.

Kathryn McGarr, associate professor in the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication and chair of the committee, said this year’s winning entry was part of an exceptionally competitive pool of finalists.

“This story immediately stood out to the judges for the difficult ethical choices the reporters were making at every stage of their work as they navigated the tragedy of families whose missing loved ones had been buried without their knowledge,” McGarr said. “Schuppe, Hixenbaugh and Schapiro showed great empathy for their sources and responsibility to the dead whose stories would not otherwise have been told.”

“This reporting is an ideal example of journalists representing the powerless and uncovering hard truths,” said Kathleen Bartzen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics. “Through these families’ heartbreaking experiences, NBC News has shown us how far we have to go in respecting those in need of care in our communities.”

As CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, Raju covers Capitol Hill and campaign politics. He has won multiple journalism awards for his reporting on the major battles consuming Washington and for his campaign coverage. Conversation moderator Katie Harbath is the former director of public policy at Facebook and a global leader at the intersection of elections, democracy, civics and tech. Both speakers serve on the advisory board of the Center for Journalism Ethics.

Registration for the ceremony is now open.