Awards and Honors
Side Effects reporters have won multiple national, regional and state awards for their health reporting. Check out our award-winning stories below.
2022
Indiana Society of Professional Journalists
- First place, Lauren Bavis, Jake Harper: Best Podcast for “Sick Season Two”
- First place, Carter Barrett: Coverage of Children’s Issues for a series on children's mental health, co-reported with Bridge Michigan’s Robin Erb.
- First place, Farah Yousry: Print Coverage of Children’s Issues for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper in partnership with WFYI.
- First place, Side Effects Staff: Best Use of Social Media for "Because of COVID" Facebook live events
- First place, Side Effects Staff: Best Use of Social Media for "Because of COVID" Facebook live events
- First place, Side Effects Staff: Best Newsletter for “Sick Newsletter”
Side Effects Staff: Best Newsletter for “Sick Newsletter”
- Second place, Farah Yousry: Medical or Science Reporting for stories about ivermectin, MIS-C, COVID-19 and vaccine access.
- Second place, WFYI, Side Effects, IPB News: Best Covid-19 Initiative for "Reflections: COVID-19."
Edward R. Murrow Awards, Regional
Carter Barrett for excellence in writing in the large market radio category for three stories that center the experiences of individuals dealing with challenging situations: a mother fighting to find mental health care for her son; an EMT who discovered a passion helping high-risk moms in rural areas; and a young man finally freed of an unnecessary guardianship.
2021
Indiana Society of Professional Journalists
- First place, Carter Barrett: Print & Digital Coverage for “Equity And Public Health”
- First place, Jake Harper: Radio In-Depth Reporting for “The Pandemic's Impact Inside Indiana Prisons”
- First place, Hilary Powell (in partnership with The Indianapolis Recorder): Print & Digital Coverage for “Pandemic's Impact On The Indianapolis Community”
- Third place, Hilary Powell (in partnership with The Indianapolis Recorder): Print & Digital Coverage for “Investigating Health Equity in Indiana"
- Third place, Farah Yousry and Vinnie Manganello: Television Medical or Science Reporting for “Blood Sugar Rising: COVID-19 and Diabetes are a Dangerous Mix”
- Third place, Holly Edgell: Online Newsletter Award for “Side Effects Newsletter”
Edward R. Murrow Awards, Regional
- Jake Harper for continuing coverage in the large market radio category for detailing the COVID-19 pandemic's impact inside Indiana's prisons.
- Christine Herman for continuing coverage in the small market radio category forcoverage of COVID-19 testing at the University of Illinois.
- Sebastián Martínez Valdivia for hard news in the small market radio category for reporting on the fears of workers at a food processing plant during the pandemic.
2020
Public Media Journalists Association
- First place, Podcast, Jake Harper and Lauren Bavis for "Sick Season 1"
- First place, Nationally Edited Feature, Christine Herman
Edward R. Murrow Awards, Regional
- First place, Best Podcast, Jake Harper and Lauren Bavis for "Sick Season 1"
- First place, Hard News, Sebastian Martinez Valdivia
Association of Health Care Journalists
- First place, Public Health Reporting, "Hidden Epidemics" collaboration with Center for Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations
Great Lakes Protection Fund
- Great Lakes Leadership Award, Institute for Nonprofit News collaboration "From Rust to Resilience"
Ohio Associated Press
- First place, Reporter of the Year, Paige Pfleger
- First place, Rising Star Award, Paige Pfleger
- Second place, Best Documentary or Series, Paige Pfleger
- Second place, Best Feature Reporting, Paige Pfleger
Indiana Society of Professional Journalists
- Third place for Continuing Coverage, Carter Barrett
- Third place for In-Depth Reporting, Jake Harper
2019
Edward R. Murrow Awards, Regional
- Multimedia, “The Workaround” podcast and video series
Emmy Awards, Lower Great Lakes Region
- Health/Science (Program or Special), “The Workaround” video series
Illinois Associated Press Broadcast Association
- First Place, Best Hard News Feature, “Out Of Options, Parents Trade Custody For Treatment”
- First Place, Best Series, “Continuing Mental Health Coverage”
Indiana Associated Press Broadcast Association
- First Place, Best Enterprise Story, “Why Firefighters Say The Law That Should Protect Them After A Cancer Diagnosis Isn’t Working”
- Second Place, Best Feature, “How An Indiana Theater Made A Holiday Favorite Autism Friendly”
Indiana Minority Health Coalition
Amos Brown Minority Health Communicator Award
Indiana Society of Professional Journalists
- Journalists of the Year, Lauren Bavis, Emily Forman, Araceli Gomez-Aldana and Jake Harper
- Second Place, Best Medical/Science Reporting, “The High Cost Of Insulin”
Ohio Society of Professional Journalists
- First Place, Minority Issues Coverage, "Ohio's First Transgender Wellness Center Offers HIV Testing In A Safe Space"
Overdose Lifeline Inc.
- Recognition for coverage of opioid crisis
Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, National
- First Place, Best Collaborative Effort, “The Workaround” podcast and video series
- Second Place, News Feature, "Out Of Options, Parents Of Children With Mental Illness Trade Custody For Treatment"
2018
Association of Health Care Journalists
- Second Place, Health Policy, “To Survive, Rural Hospitals Need To Grow—But The Demographics Don’t Add Up,” “As Rural Counties Lose Obstetrics, Women Give Birth Far From Home” and “Trump Administration Rule Scales Back Program Keeping Rural Hospitals Afloat”
Edward R. Murrow Awards, National
- Best Continuing Coverage, “For Rural Hospitals Already On The Brink, GOP’s Proposed Medicaid Cuts Would Hit Hard” and “Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Face Tough Decisions On Profitable But Questionable Billing Schemes”
Indiana Associated Press Broadcasters Association
- First Place, Best Enterprise Story, “A Drugmaker Tries To Cash In On The Opioid Epidemic, One State Law At A Time”
- First Place, Best General News, Indiana Metro Division, “How To Get Hospitals To Check A Patient’s Drug History? Make It Easy"
- First Place, Best Reporter, Samantha Horton
- Second Place, Best Continuous Coverage of a Single Event, “An Indiana County Health Official’s Fight Against Syringe Exchange Stigma”
Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association
- Second Place, Best Hard News Feature, “Medicaid Bill Backlog Pushing Illinois Doctors To The Brink Of Closure”
National Institute for Healthcare Management
- Honorable Mention, Television & Radio Journalism Award, “A Drugmaker Tries To Cash In On The Opioid Epidemic, One State Law At A Time” and “To Grow Market Share, A Drugmaker Pitches Its Product To Judges”
Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Association
- Second Place, Best Enterprise Reporting, “Why Some Teen Moms Can’t Get The Pain Relief They Choose In Childbirth”
2017
Indiana Associated Press Broadcasters Association
- First Place, Best Spot News Reporting, “For Med Students, ‘Match Day’ Is A Day For Tears, Cheers And Jitters”
- First Place, Best Enterprise Story, “For People Recovering From Addiction, Insurance Rules Can Be A Big Obstacle”
- First Place, Best Use Of Radio Sound, “Personalized Playlists Pack Therapeutic Power For Dementia Patients”