Detroit Free Press wins journalism award

The Detroit Free Press won the 49th annual Wade H. McCree Advancement of Justice Award for 2023, which is sponsored by the Michigan Press Association Foundation.

According to the Michigan Press Association, the Wade H. McCree Advancement of Justice Awards looks for outstanding entries that explain problems and issues in the legal system and law enforcement.

Winners from the Free Press include reporters Christine MacDonald, Gina Kaufman, Elisha Anderson, Jennifer Dixon and Tresa Baldas for four different entries.

More: Officials: Numbers down at overcrowded Wayne County juvenile jail

According to a news release from MPA, MacDonald and Kaufman were awarded for their investigation "Conditions at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility." The series of articles exposed issues at the facility such as understaffing and overcrowding by highlighting the voices of parents, employees, youths, etc.

After the publications of these articles, officials moved the youths to a new facility and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched a Juvenile Residential Facilities Advisory Committee to address concerns such as denial of basic care, lack of education, etc.

Anderson was awarded for her columns "Incentivized witnesses, wrongful conviction and Anthony Kyle Case" portraying the common patterns of wrongful conviction through incentivized witnesses and jailhouse informants.

More: Elisha Anderson wins national award for Free Press coverage of men wrongly imprisoned

Anderson's first article in the series on Kyle's case shared information that an independent fire expert reevaluated the case, determining the original investigators made a mistake in their conclusion on arson.

Six months after Anderson's investigation, Oakland County's Conviction Integrity Unit determined Kyle was wrongfully convicted. Prosecutors are now saying faulty wiring in a space heater most likely started the fire.

Next, Dixon's columns "Rights & Wrongs" discusses the impact of Michigan Recipient Rights, laws in place intending to protect those with mental illness, substance abuse, etc. from unequal opportunity and discrimination.

Dixon's articles pointed out a significant problem of recipient rights, as mental health providers and psychiatric hospitals are responsible for investigating themselves internally when a complaint is filed. This causes issues as solutions aren't implemented and quality of investigation differs from place to place.

Tresa Baldas and her column "Investigation contradicts damning narrative about the Crumbleys — the embattled parents of the Oxford school shooter," are the last of the winners for the 2023 McCree Award.

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The two-part investigation conducted by Baldas included context that hadn't been previously published such as text messages between teachers and school officials in regards to the shooter, red flags about the shooter that were missed, and an account from the social worker tasked with finding the active shooter on surveillance cameras.

Winners of the 2022 48th annual McCree Award from the Free Press include reporters Elisha Anderson and John Wisely, and podcast co-producers Cary Junior II, Darcie Moran, and Tad Davis for their columns “Jailhouse informants and a 15-year fight for freedom.”

More: Michigan jailhouse informant testimony has led to wrongful convictions. New bill may help.

The column highlights the story of Juwan Deering, who claimed his innocence from behind bars for 15 years. Deering was convicted in 2006 and given a life sentence after being wrongfully accused of killing five children. Oakland County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Matis vacated Deering’s conviction in 2021 on grounds that Deering did not receive a fair trial and crucial evidence was withheld from his defense attorney.

More: Listen to 'On The Line': Jailhouse informants and a 15-year fight for freedom

The 2023 winners were selected by a panel of four judges who independently reviewed 13 entries across Michigan.

The winners will receive their awards and be recognized at the 2023 Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame dinner on April 23 at the Kellogg Center.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Free Press wins annual McCree award