Steve Reilly is an American investigative reporter for USA Today[1] known for his investigation into flaws in the national educator background check system, which was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.[2]

Education and career

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Reilly grew up in Downingtown, Pennsylvania[3] and graduated from Vassar College in 2009.[4]

Reilly began his career at newspapers in Pennsylvania and New York.[1] His reporting for the Press & Sun-Bulletin was awarded the Distinguished Investigative Reporting Award of Excellence by the New York News Publishers Association.[5] He was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Local Reporting for a 2014 report on workers in New York paid less than minimum wage.[6]

Reilly joined USA Today as an investigative reporter in 2014.[1] In 2015, he led a reporting project the Columbia Journalism Review described as a “massive investigation”[7] which identified more than 70,000 untested rape kits held by local and state law enforcement agencies in the United States. The investigation was followed by local reforms[8] and new legislation in at least 20 states addressing protocols for handling sexual assault evidence.[9] Reilly was a finalist for the 2016 Livingston Award for National Reporting for the investigation.[10]

In 2017, Reilly was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting "for a far-reaching investigation that used two ambitious data-gathering efforts to turn up 9,000 teachers across the nation who should have been flagged for past disciplinary offenses but were not."[2] The series led to national reforms for background check system for educators.[11] According to USA Today, it marked the first time the newspaper was recognized as a finalist in the investigative reporting category of the Pulitzer Prizes.[12]

Reilly has reported on the business operations of President Donald Trump, including a report detailing allegations that Trump's companies failed to pay bills to hundreds of contractors and workers[13][14] and a 2018 report on a newly formed corporation selling Trump-brand merchandise.[15] He has also shared with colleagues the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism[16] and recognition from the Overseas Press Club[17] and Education Writers Association.[18]

Awards

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  • 2017 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting[2]
  • 2016 Finalist for the Livingston Award for National Reporting[10]
  • 2015 Finalist for the Livingston Award for Local Reporting[3]
  • 2012 New York News Publishers Association Distinguished Investigative Reporting Award of Excellence[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Steve Reilly | USA TODAY". USA Today.
  2. ^ a b c "Finalist: Steve Reilly of USA Today Network, Tysons Corner, VA".
  3. ^ a b "Reporter named finalist for national award". Pressconnects. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  4. ^ "Archive from Thursday, April 27, 2017 - In the Media - April 2017 Roundup - Office of Alumnae/i Affairs & Development (OAAD) - Vassar College". alums.vassar.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  5. ^ a b "New York News Publishers Association, Inc" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Beneath the Minimum". Wallace House. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  7. ^ "How an Ohio reporter helped convict more than 100 rapists". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  8. ^ "State, local officials reviewing or changing policies on rape-kit testing". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  9. ^ "After USA TODAY NETWORK investigation, rape-kit reforms flood state legislatures". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  10. ^ a b "Untested Rape Kits". Wallace House. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  11. ^ "NASDTEC Response to USA Today Reports - National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification". www.nasdtec.net. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  12. ^ "Pulitzer winners reflect the year of Trump, Putin and opioids". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  13. ^ "USA TODAY exclusive: Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn't pay his bills". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  14. ^ "Donald Trump Has a History of Not Paying His Bills. That Offers Some Insights Into His Personality". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  15. ^ "USA Today investigation reveals the truth about mysterious LLC that made Trump $107,000". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  16. ^ "The Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism, Stanford University". knightrisser.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  17. ^ "Citation: The Whitman Bassow Award 2015". OPC. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  18. ^ "2016 Category Winners for the National Awards for Education Reporting". Education Writers Association. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
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