New Hampshire Bulletin earns Collier Spotlight Quarterly Certificate Award
The second Collier Spotlight award, a quarterly certificate recognizing groundbreaking reporting on state government institutions, is awarded to the New Hampshire Bulletin and reporter William Skipworth for its investigation into systemic abuse and neglect in the state’s intellectual and developmental disability care system.
In its three-part series, the Bulletin reported that from January 2023 through June 2025, there were 467 credible reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation against people in this system investigated by the state. Records obtained by the Bulletin also showed that 119 people died in the system during this time period.
As a result of the project, the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center launched an investigation into the system, and state senators filed legislation to address abuse and neglect in care facilities.
Said one Collier juror: “Dogged reporting by a small newsroom has uncovered systemic abuse of one of the most vulnerable populations in the state’s care.”
Said another: “This reporting systematically examined more than 1,400 complaints against state institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, revealing shocking instances of mistreatment. They included a person who died after being left in a hot car, a person found dead in the woods near where he was supposed to be cared for under the state system, and a person sexually assaulted while under state care. The reporting prompted an investigation by a federally designated protection and advocacy agency.”
William Skipworth is the Bulletin’s health reporter. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and a native of Texas. Prior to joining the Bulletin, he wrote for Forbes, PolitiFact, and newspapers across the country, including in Indiana, Missouri, and Texas.
The New Hampshire Bulletin is an independent, nonprofit news organization started in 2021. It has a staff of five full-time journalists, and is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
The goal of the Collier Spotlight is to expand the impact of the Collier Prize initiative – and encourage news organizations to tackle more state government accountability reporting. Spotlight certificates, which include a $500 honorarium, are awarded quarterly by the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability. The Collier Spotlight is part of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
Category: College News
Tagged: Collier Prize for State Government Accountability News Collier Spotlight Winners
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