Mississippi Today reporter wins nonprofit news award for opioid funds investigation

Allen Siegler, a mental health reporter for Mississippi Today, received the Community Champion Award from the Institute for Nonprofit News for an investigation into how Mississippi spent opioid settlement funds, the institute said.

Siegler filed public records requests with 147 towns, cities and counties across Mississippi to track how local officials chose to spend — or not spend — tens of millions of dollars awarded to the state from drug companies, Mississippi Today reported.

The project, titled “The Black Box,” found that over three years government officials spent less than $1 million — or under 1% — of the funds on measures that could directly prevent overdose deaths, according to Mississippi Today’s reporting.

The Institute for Nonprofit News said the award recognizes newsrooms “that made a significant contribution to the well-being of its community through a journalism-centered project or service.” In a written statement, the institute added: “The approach requires a lot of work, but the methodology — following the money via public records requests — is fairly straightforward. Judges appreciated the unfussy databases and maps, and the equally unfussy vertical video summary. These strategies showed a willingness to consider all the ways audiences might interact with the material.”

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