Cox Media Group (CMG) and KFF Health News have earned the inaugural broadcast reporting award from The Center for Integrity in News Reporting. This marks the 11th award for their investigative series on Social Security overpayments and their impact on vulnerable Americans. The Center for Integrity in News Reporting recognizes excellence in news reporting that upholds impartiality, objectivity, and fairness, with a mission to restore public trust in journalism.
CMG and KFF Health News received national recognition for their investigative news special, “Social Security’s Secret,” which was based on their year-long series, “Overpayment Outrage.” The series exposed the significant scale of Social Security overpayments, revealing that two million Americans each year were hit with overpayments.
Marian Pittman, CMG’s President of Content & Innovation, emphasized the privilege and responsibility of CMG’s Investigative Journalism team to positively serve their communities. Local broadcast TV, she noted, reaches more adults each week than other platforms, with consistently high trust levels, giving CMG the opportunity to make a meaningful difference for viewers.
Thanks to CMG’s reporting, the Social Security Administration (SSA) restored benefits for many people and implemented significant policy changes to address what former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley described as the “clawback cruelty” of withholding 100% of people’s benefits to recoup overpayments. Under the new policy, the SSA began withholding only 10% of benefits, made overpayment notices easier to understand, shifted the burden of proof from beneficiaries to the SSA, and extended payment plans to five years.
O’Malley acknowledged the role of CMG’s reporting in prompting these changes during an interview in March 2024: “Sometimes it takes a crisis. Sometimes it takes an organization like yours (CMG) lifting up a shortcoming for us to look at our data differently. We couldn’t allow this injustice to continue.”
“Social Security’s Secret” was written and produced by Jodie Fleischer, CMG’s managing editor for investigative content and collaborations, and Josh Wade, CMG’s executive producer for investigative content. Fleischer remarked, “When our reporting encourages those in power to take action to improve the lives of millions of people, it reaffirms our mission to protect consumers and positively impact the people and communities we serve.”
Earlier this year, “Social Security’s Secret” received the National Press Foundation’s Feddie Award, and the “Overpayment Outrage” series was named a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Public Service. The series has also earned the following prestigious awards:
Barlett & Steele Gold Prize for regional/local reporting
Inaugural Goldsmith Awards Special Citation for Government Reporting
National Headliner Award for Public Service (Broadcast)
Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) Best in Business Award
AHCJ Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism
Society of Professional Journalists D.C. Dateline Awards for Television Investigative Journalism, Online Investigative Journalism, and the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award.
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