Looking back at Courier Journal stories that led to change, community impact in 2023
As we enter this new year and look forward to new opportunities to celebrate, advocate for and uplift our city and state, it’s a great time to reflect on the narrative and visual storytelling that is at the heart of what our journalists produced this past year for our readers and subscribers.
Highlights of our 2023 work include coverage of the inauguration of a new mayor, the selection of a new police chief, the reelection of Kentucky's governor, the Jefferson County Public Schools bus delays, a deadly bank shooting, a near UPS strike and a Ford automotive strike.
We also celebrated and honored citizens in 2023 and wrote about deaths of prominent Kentuckians and Louisvillians.
But the cornerstone of our hard work this past year are the stories we told through words, pictures, video and social media that uncovered wrongdoing or missteps, led to the creation of new laws or changed the way our residents live their lives.
Examples of our investigative work include:
Safer Sidelines: An in-depth look at high school athletes' safety, which became more urgent after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after taking a hit in an NFL game on Jan. 2. The Courier Journal's four-part series has been touted locally and nationally, raising awareness of the lack of gold standard-level safety on high school sidelines. Published in April, it included a first-of-its-kind public database of athlete deaths over more than 100 years.
A Heavy Burden: This investigative project published in December found that while some cities proactively addressed lead paint contamination in rental properties, Louisville was about 20 years behind the curve.
Highlights of more journalism with impact in 2023 include:
Louisville sues Kia, Hyundai after story on car thefts: After requesting car theft data from Louisville Metro Police, reporters noticed more than 50% of vehicles reported stolen in the city in 2023 were either Kias or Hyundais, mirroring a national trend. Other major cities such as Seattle, New York and Chicago had sued the automakers, claiming the cars’ lack of anti-theft technology had led to a crime wave and threatened public safety. Two days after our story was published, the mayor’s office announced Louisville would also sue Kia and Hyundai.
Louisville rethinks decision to burn down chemical-laden house after reporter scrutiny: The newspaper highlighted Louisville government’s plan to burn down a home full of chemicals. After our reporting pointed out the possible harm citizens could face from the burn, as well as likely evacuations, the city sought the advice of the Environmental Protection Agency. An investigation and analysis by the EPA ensued, and the house was instead dismantled rather than being set ablaze.
We also positively impacted our community in other ways in 2023, including through our community engagement efforts and by hosting public events that included everything from a forum on how to make sidelines safer for student athletes, to a community discussion on equitable housing, to a family court judicial forum.
We also continued to visit neighborhoods locally through our mobile newsroom, which The Courier Journal started in 2022. The mobile newsroom brings our journalists to your neighborhood to listen to you about the issues you care about and the stories you think we should be telling.
Courier Journal local and politics editors Nick Hollkamp contributed to this column. Mary Irby-Jones is the editor of the Courier Journal and the Midwest Region Editor for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at mirbyjones@courier-journal.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @mirbyj.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Courier Journal investigations, forums impact Louisville community
