Investigate Midwest received multiple honors at the 2026 Iowa Newspaper Association Awards, recognizing both investigative reporting and newsroom-wide excellence in agricultural coverage and visual storytelling.
Mónica Cordero, our Iowa-based reporter, won second place for the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting for her multi-story submission:
Iowa’s polluted waterways rarely see improvement. Lawmakers still resist efforts to regulate industrial ag — An analysis by Investigative Midwest found that a substantial share of Iowa’s rivers and lakes labeled as impaired have remained in poor condition for at least a decade, highlighting persistent pollution risks for swimmers, boaters, and others who regularly use these waters.
Meatpacking plants mostly pollute low-income, communities of color, EPA data shows — Postville, Iowa, has long dealt with the fallout from Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the town’s largest employer.
America’s largest corn company, Corteva Agriscience, pledges no supply chain abuses. It’s hired a repeat offender in Iowa for years — Corn is used in everything from potato chips to jet fuel. A major industry player that processes the raw material has relied on a labor contractor, T. Bell Detasseling, that has violated multiple federal labor laws over more than a decade.
The Investigate Midwest newsroom also placed third for “Best Coverage of Agriculture” and “Best Use of Graphics” with multi-story submissions.
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