NBC News journalists receive 2025 Shaufler Prize in Journalism from Cronkite School

A team of NBC News journalists received first prize in the 2025 Shaufler Prize in Journalism during an awards ceremony held March 24 at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

The winning investigation, “Dealing the Dead,” exposed how a Fort Worth–based medical school generated millions of dollars in part by obtaining unclaimed bodies of poor and vulnerable people and leasing body parts for medical training and research. The project was reported and produced by Mike Hixenbaugh, Jon Schuppe, Susan Carroll, Anagilmara Vilchez, Liz Kreutz and Tyler Kingkade.

Carroll first identified concerns at the University of North Texas in late 2023 but died suddenly in 2024 while the reporting was underway. Her colleagues completed the investigation she began. The medical school shut down its program before the stories were published.

“This illuminating and impactful reporting reflects exactly what the Shaufler Prize is designed to recognize,” said Battinto Batts, dean of the Cronkite School. “By centering the experiences of families who were denied dignity and transparency, the NBC News team exposed a profound injustice and demonstrated the essential role of journalism in holding powerful institutions accountable.”

Administered by the Cronkite School, the Shaufler Prize honors outstanding journalism that advances public understanding of issues affecting underserved communities, including communities of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and people with disabilities. The annual contest distributes $20,000 in prizes.

Now in its fifth year, the Shaufler Prize was established by Paul B. Anderson, principal and CEO of Workhouse Media in Seattle, to honor his late friend Ed Shaufler, whose legacy continues to shape the award’s focus on understanding underrepresented communities.

“It has never been more important to bring light to stories that otherwise may go untold," Paul Anderson said. "Our collective responsibility in a democratic society is to learn from the experiences of others, particularly when the stories shed light on darkness. A more perfect union is possible only when we live up to that responsibility, and the strength of our First Amendment is our firewall against sweeping important stories under the rug.”

Second place was awarded to “Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners caught in tax foreclosure,” by Carlos Ballesteros of Injustice Watch and Emeline Posner of the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, with assistance from Maia McDonald, Tatiana Walk-Morris and Kristen Axtman.

Third place was awarded to “When Home is the Danger,” by Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio, a data‑driven reporting series that used child fatality records, public documents, and in‑depth interviews to examine how Texas policy decisions have increased risks for children in abusive and neglectful homes. The project was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. fellowship.

Judges also awarded an honorable mention to “San Francisco is weaponizing parking rules to displace RV communities. Here’s how it started,” by Yesica Prado and Erika Carlos of El Tecolote.

The student Shaufler Prize was awarded to “The Colorado Plateau’s Nuclear Legacy,” by Leo Diven Legay of Northern Arizona University.

Cara Anthony: A journalist with KFF Health News, Anthony won a 2021 Edward R. Murrow award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reporting, and her reporting on gun violence earned a 2021 Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Jesus Ayala: Ayala is an experienced broadcast journalist, primarily with ABC News, who has won four national Emmys and seven Edward R. Murrow awards. He is a professor of broadcast journalism and multimedia at California State University, Fullerton.

Julie Bykowicz: Bykowicz is the business and enterprise editor at The Baltimore Banner, and previously covered national politics, with a focus on money and influence, for The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and Bloomberg News.

Tom Davidson: Davidson is a media executive, journalist and educator who has worked at the intersection of revenue, content and digital transformation for public and commercial media organizations, including PBS and Gannett. He is a professor of practice in entrepreneurship and innovation at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State University.

Marie Dillon: Dillon was a 12-year member of the Chicago Tribune editorial board, and has earned national awards from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and Sigma Delta Chi. She and two Tribune editorial board colleagues were Pulitzer finalists for coverage of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s corruption.

Margie Mason: Mason is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and longtime foreign correspondent in Asia for The Associated Press. She focuses on human rights abuses and social justice issues, and was a winner of the 2024 Shaufler Prize.

Robin McDowell: McDowell is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter who focuses on labor abuses and social justice issues for The Associated Press, and was a winner of the 2024 Shaufler Prize.

Chelsea Reynolds, PhD: Reynolds is the founding director of the Center for Culture and Inclusion in Media at the ASU California Center. Her research examines the relationships between mass media and difference, focusing on sexual communication, LGBTQ+ communities, and internet censorship. Prior to entering academia, she worked in the magazine industry.