INVESTIGATIONS

Do No Harm — In their zeal to protect children, some doctors have implicated parents who have credible claims of innocence, leading to traumatic family separations and questionable criminal charges, an investigation by NBC News and the Houston Chronicle found. This nine-month investigation led to changes in Texas state law and became the basis for the podcast, Do No Harm.

Heart Failure — A once-renowned Houston heart transplant center has performed an outsized number of surgeries resulting in deaths or unusual complications, all the while marketing itself based on its storied past, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and ProPublica reveals. (Read the complete series here)

Reliving Agent Orange — Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, ProPublica and The Virginian-Pilot investigated the ongoing effects of the chemical mixture Agent Orange on veterans and their families, as well as their fight for benefits.

Distress Signal — Wes Van Dorn committed himself to exposing problems with the Navy’s most unreliable helicopter, even if it meant long hours away from his wife and kids. He didn’t get to finish the job. This reporting led to the grounding of more than 150 helicopters and changes to improve safety and was later adapted as a full-length documentary and an episode of Reveal.

Alive Inside — Thousands of people are wrongly labeled unconscious after suffering severe brain injuries each year. Some have their life support withdrawn; some are sent to nursing homes and left in bed, aware but unable to show it. A fortunate few make it to a Houston rehab hospital, where those with even the worst prognoses get a shot at recovery.