The Hauxeda has been named a finalist for awards from two national news organizations.
The Daily Citizen's Child Care Crisis series, done in collaboration with KY3 News, is a finalist for Collaboration of the Year in separate contests sponsored by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers.
In the LION contest, the Daily Citizen is also one of two finalists for New Business of the Year among nonprofit and for-profit news organizations with revenues of $500,000 or more.
The Institute for Nonprofit News is the nation's premier network for more than 400 nonprofit newsrooms dedicated to providing independent, nonpartisan news coverage as a public service. (The Daily Citizen won an award in 2022 from INN, receiving the “Breaking Barriers Award” in the Medium Newsroom category for stories that humanized and helped the homeless.)
The Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers is a professional journalism association for independent news publishers with 400-plus members across the U.S. and Canada.
The Child Care Crisis series, published in July 2022, was produced by reporters Jackie Rehwald and Cory Matteson, with primary photography by freelance contributor Jym Wilson, added photos and graphics by Shannon Cay and editing by Brittany Meiling and David Stoeffler.
The report, produced just five months after the Daily Citizen's launch, was published over a six-day period at the same time KY3 aired its own coverage. The local NBC affiliate is the No. 1 broadcast outlet and has the largest reach of any news organization in Southwest Missouri.
“By working together, the Daily Citizen and KY3 were able to amplify our coverage to help readers and viewers understand the extent of the crisis,” said David Stoeffler, chief executive officer of the Daily Citizen.
The report found a severe shortage of child care slots in our community. The demand for child care far exceeds supply and costs outstrip the capacity of many families. Parents are confused about where to turn for information and that further adds to the risk faced by families. The shortage also adds to workforce shortages as parents scramble to find affordable care.
The joint report sparked community conversation and helped prompt the Community Partnership of the Ozarks to launch a new service called Child Care Connect, which is a single resource for parents looking for care. The service tracks openings at local child care facilities and provides information to connect parents to those services.
One Springfield child care facility expanded its available slots and local employers also stepped up efforts to help workers address child care needs.
The INN finalists were announced July 17 and awards given out Aug. 23. Other finalists for the Collaboration of the Year award are:
- Limestone Post Magazine, in Bloomington, Ind., for an ongoing partnership with WFHB Community Radio called DeepDive.
- Prism, a national website led by journalists of color, for a partnership with Futuro Investigates and LatinoUSA on H2A Visa Worker Exploitation.
The LION finalists were announced Aug. 9 and winners will be unveiled Oct. 3.
The New Business of the Year contest “recognizes a business — founded after January 1, 2022 — that exhibits, even in its very early stages, a clearly-defined commitment to working toward achieving sustainability through operational resilience, financial health, and journalistic impact.”
The Daily Citizen was named a finalist for its commitment to high quality journalism with a community focus. The award summary notes that the “Daily Citizen has made major contributions to their community, providing significant coverage of issues impacting their neighbors. Their five-year strategic plan emphasizes earned and contributed income and the importance of sustainable operations.”
The other finalist for the award is Bolts, which launched as a two-person, nonprofit publication in early 2022. The award summary notes: “Bolts has covered the nuts and bolts of power and political change, focusing on two areas where local governments play an outsized role — criminal justice and voting rights. By drawing attention to its multi-local reporting, Bolts has rapidly expanded to six staff members and $1.1 million in funding, which included six revenue streams and 755 unique donors in 2022.”