WNYC/Gothamist Wins Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award

WNYC/Gothamist has been honored with an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its investigation into allegations by 24 women of sexual assault by a single corrections officer on Rikers Island. The audio story – which aired on WNYC’s NYC Now local news podcast – revealed how an officer known as “Champagne” had been accused of abusing female inmates for years.

The duPont-Columbia Award is among the most prestigious honors in journalism. Winners were announced last night by Columbia Journalism School. 

As part of its investigation, the WNYC/Gothamist team pored over cases filed by hundreds of women under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allowed sexual assault survivors to file lawsuits even if the statute of limitations had passed. Analysis of these civil lawsuits uncovered over 700 claims of abuse at the women’s prison at Rikers Island spanning five decades, and led to the discovery that one officer, known as “Champagne,” was named by 24 women. The podcast episode recounts the process of investigating these cases, and includes interviews with some of the women who filed the lawsuits, as well as  “Champagne” himself. 

Following WNYC/Gothamist’s investigation, local leaders began immediately calling for investigations and accountabilityas a result. The New York City Council passed two bills requiring officials to track and report sexual abuse allegations in response to the reporting. And three guards who were accused of raping and abusing detainees – but still employed by the Department of Correction – were transferred out of the women’s jail.

“We are grateful for this recognition of the newsroom’s work. This investigation required months of difficult and deepreporting, and it led to meaningful change — underscoring the essential role of local journalism in holding people in power to account,” said Stephanie Clary, Interim Editor-in-Chief, WNYC/Gothamist. “We are especially thankful to the women who entrusted us with their stories. Their voices and interviews were critical to this reporting and ultimately helped make the city safer for others.”

WNYC/Gothamist’s reporting on alleged sexual assault on Rikers Island won Online Journalism Awards for Excellence in Audio Digital Storytelling and Use of Audio Storytelling, as well as a New York Press Club Award for Continuing Coverage - NYC Metro. It was also a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting.

Over the years, WNYC has won multiple duPont Awards for its work. WNYC was recognized in 2025 for On The Media’s "We Don’t Talk About Leonard,” in 2022 for Blindspot: Tulsa Burning and two duPont-Columbia Awards in 2021 forRadiolab’s “The Other Latif” and “The Flag and The Fury.” WNYC also received two duPont-Columbia Awards in 2018 for its podcasts Trump, Inc. and Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, as well as for its local enterprise reporting in 2002, 2012, and 2016.