IndyStar journalists who helped put Larry Nassar in jail win major journalism award

The team of IndyStar journalists who exposed the crimes of former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar and helped him get a 175 year prison sentence took home a top journalism award for their efforts.

The American Society of News Editors on Thursday announced the winners of the 2018 ASNE Awards for distinguished writing, digital storytelling and photography. Among the honorees were IndyStar reporters Marisa Kwiatkowski, Mark Alesia and Tim Evans who won the O'Brien Fellowship Award for Impact in Public Service Journalism.

The O'Brien Award award "recognizes public service work that helps solve community or societal issues and leads to changes in laws, regulations or other demonstrated results," according to officials. The winners will receive $2,500 for winning the award, sponsored by the fellowship at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

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Out of Balance: An IndyStar investigation into sexual abuse in USA Gymnastics

“Our thanks goes to the people who trusted us to share their stories," Kwiatkowski said. "Without their bravery in coming forward, none of these changes would have happened.”

The IndyStar team, comprised of the trio of reporters, photojournalist Robert Scheer and investigations editor Steve Berta, began looking into allegations of sexual abuse in gymnastics in March 2016 after learning of a lawsuit filed in Georgia against Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics.

The lawsuit alleged top officials of the sport's national governing body did not always report allegations of sexual abuse to authorities.

Over the next two years, the team traveled the country interviewing people and poring over court documents. As they reported on individual cases and systemic problems in the sport, the team was met with fierce pressure and criticism from USA Gymnastics and its attorneys, who at one point called the investigation a "witch hunt."

Collectively, their work became known as the "Out of Balance" series.

Here's what the ASNE judges had to say about the groundbreaking series:

"Comprehensive and relentless reporting that permanently changed Americans' perceptions of high-level gymnastics and the people who run the sport. The Star committed itself to unraveling a culture in U.S. gymnastics that abetted widespread sex abuse of its athletes. Its exhaustive effort upended the USA Gymnastics hierarchy, spurred criminal convictions and the resignation of a university president. It built a framework, story by story, that exposed a pattern of abuse, the passing around of abusers, the silencing of accusers and a cover-up. When the story finally blew up over the Larry Nassar scandal, it seemed sudden to those not paying attention, but much credit goes to this series and the news organization that supported and published it for the far-reaching impact the story ultimately had."

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.