Howard Center For Investigative Journalism
The Howard Center, funded by the Scripps Howard Foundation, partners our students with professional news organizations and students around the country to publish award-winning impactful journalism.
Award-Winning Journalism
The Howard Center's many awards and recognitions include:
Finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting, Winner of Edward R. Murrow Award for News Series | Lethal Restraint (2024)
Winner of Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting | Off the Rails (2025)
Winner of Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award | Mega Billions (2022)
Winner of Investigative Reporters & Editors Medal as best in show | Printing Hate (2021)
Recent Howard Center Projects
Off the Rails (2025)
Exposing risks and regulatory gaps in North America's railroad industry after the damaging 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Project highlights:
- Unprecedented access to RailState LLC data capturing images of every train moving through much of North America, that helped report information the railroads don’t want to share.
- Edward R. Murrow Award in Investigative Reporting.
- Collaboration with professional and university-based newsrooms, including NPR, CBC and the University of British Columbia’s Global Reporting Centre.
Collaborators
- NPR
- CBC
- Merrill College's Capital News Service
- Arizona State University’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
- University of British Columbia’s Global Reporting Centre
- Evident Media
- The Narwhal
Stories were distributed by The Associated Press.
Awards, Recognition for Off the Rails
- Radio Television Digital News Association, Edward R. Murrow Award in Investigative Reporting — Small Digital Organization category
- Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, Best in Business Award for Student Journalism — Stories for Student Media Outlets category
- Finalist for Society of Professional Journalists' National Mark of Excellence Award, Investigative Reporting category
Lethal Restraint (2024)
A three-year investigation documenting police use of force in collaboration with the AP global investigations team, FRONTLINE (PBS) and the Arizona State University Howard Center.
Project highlights:
- Finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting, the first such honor for journalism produced by Merrill College.
- Documented more than 1,000 deaths from 2012-21 in the U.S. resulting from police tactics intended to stop people without killing them.
- 205 Merrill students, faculty and staff contributed to the project, which includes an interactive database, traditional and dynamic storytelling, and a FRONTLINE documentary.
Collaborators
Associated Press global investigations team
FRONTLINE (PBS)
Arizona State University Howard Center
Awards, Recognition for Lethal Restraint
- Finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting
- Winner of RTDNA, Edward R. Murrow Award for News Series (Large Digital Organization)
- Winner of National Headliner Award, Digital Journalism Best in Show
- Winner of National Headliner Award, First Place in Best Online investigative reporting for digital partnerships with other news outlets
- Special Citation from USC Annenburg, Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting
- Finalist for Online News Association, Online Journalism Awards, Excellence in Visual Digital Storytelling, Large Newsroom
- Finalist for Online News Association, Online Journalism Awards, Excellence in Collaboration and Partnerships
- Finalist for News and Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Investigative News Coverage – Long Form
- Finalist for News and Documentary Emmy Award, Outstanding Research – News
- Finalist for Royal Television Society, Television Journalism Awards, Digital Journalism
- Finalist for The Deadline Club, Public Service Award
- Finalist for Webby Award, News and Politics Video and Film
- Semifinalist for The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, The Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting
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News
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Merrill College, UMD Student Journalists Win Eight SPJ Mark of Excellence Regional Awards
COLLEGE PARK — Student journalists from the University of Maryland and Philip Merrill College of Journalism had a strong showing when the Society of Professional Journalists announced its Region 2 2025 Mark of Excellence Awards.UMD students won eight awards and added 10 finalists across 13 categorie...View Article Details for Merrill College, UMD Student Journalists Win Eight SPJ Mark of Excellence Regional Awards -
Merrill College’s Sean Mussenden Named Director of UMD Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
COLLEGE PARK — Sean Mussenden, principal lecturer at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, has been named director of the college's award-winning Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, Dean Rafael Lorente announced Wednesday.Mussenden had been interim director since...View Article Details for Merrill College’s Sean Mussenden Named Director of UMD Howard Center for Investigative Journalism -
Merrill College Alums Kara Newhouse, Aidan Hughes Join UMD Howard Center as Data Journalists
COLLEGE PARK — The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism has hired two new data journalists to its team, alums and former Howard fellows Kara Newhouse and Aidan Hughes, Interim Director Sean Mussenden announced Wednesday.Newho...View Article Details for Merrill College Alums Kara Newhouse, Aidan Hughes Join UMD Howard Center as Data Journalists
About The Center
The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, launched in 2019, gives journalism students the opportunity to work with news organizations across the country to report stories of national and international importance to the public.
The multidisciplinary program is focused on training the next generation of reporters through hands-on investigative journalism projects. Students learn to dive deep into data, ask tough questions of those in power, and tell the stories they uncover in new and compelling ways.
Leadership and History
The center is directed by Principal Lecturer Sean Mussenden, formerly the center's founding data editor, a longtime journalist and a leading expert in the use of data science methods, computational techniques and artificial intelligence.
The Howard Center is generously funded by the Scripps Howard Foundation and honors the legacy of Roy W. Howard, former chairman of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain and a pioneering news reporter. Howard was one of the newspaper world’s most dynamic personalities. He became president of the United Press when he was 29 and 10 years later was named chairman of the board of Scripps Howard. He retired in 1953 but remained active in the company until his death at age 81 in 1964.
Fellowships and Financial Aid
Fellowships and aid are available for graduate students interested in working with the Howard Center. Undergraduate students will also have opportunities to work with the Howard Center.
Howard fellows can compete for post-graduation fellowships that place them on investigative teams in nonprofit newsrooms. Learn more about fellowships and aid.
Follow and Support the Center
Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter/X (@HowardCenterUMD).
Support the Howard Center with a donation.
Howard Center Faculty & Staff
Sean Mussenden
Director, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism; Principal Lecturer
Aidan Hughes
Data Journalist, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
Kara Newhouse
Deputy Data Editor, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
Kaitlyn Wilson
Collaboration Manager, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
The Howard Center is a proud member of the
