Investigative Report on Post-Civil War Land Reparations Wins Top Award

The Center for Public Integrity’s investigative project, "40 Acres and a Lie," has been awarded second place in the annual Philip Meyer Journalism Award from Investigative Reporters and Editors. The award recognizes outstanding use of social science research methods in journalism.

The project examines the historical promise of reparations to formerly enslaved Black Americans following the Civil War. While the phrase "40 acres and a mule" has become symbolic of broken promises, the investigation reveals that the federal government did, in fact, issue land titles to hundreds—possibly thousands—of Black families. These families established homes, local governments, and farms, but their progress was short-lived. After President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, his successor, Andrew Johnson, revoked these land grants and returned the property to former slaveholders.

Over two and a half years, a team of reporters, editors, and researchers from the Center for Public Integrity identified 1,250 Black individuals who received land reparations after the Civil War. Through genealogical research, the team located living descendants of many of these families, bringing to light previously unknown histories of land ownership and dispossession. The investigation utilized Freedmen’s Bureau records, made accessible through recent advances in genealogical research and the digitization of Reconstruction-era documents.

In collaboration with Reveal and Mother Jones, the project uncovered a largely forgotten chapter of American history. It employed artificial intelligence to trace the stories of those affected, then interviewed their descendants about the enduring implications of these events.

The project was led by Alexia Fernández Campbell, Pratheek Rebala, April Simpson, and Jennifer LaFleur, with editorial support from Mc Nelly Torres, Jamie Smith Hopkins, Wesley Lowery, and Matt DeRienzo. The fact-checking team included Peter Newbatt Smith, Ileana Garnand, and Sophie Austin, with additional contributions from Janeen Jones, Ashley Clarke, Vanessa Freeman, and Lisa Yanick Litwiller.

The Center for Public Integrity has received numerous other accolades, including nominations for Peabody and Ambie awards, a Peabody Award nomination, a National Headliner Award, and recognition from the National Association of Black Journalists, among others. In 2023, the newsroom was a finalist for the Online Journalism Awards’ general excellence award and won an Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.

Established in 1989, the Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit news organization focused on investigating systemic inequalities in the United States. The recognition of "40 Acres and a Lie" underscores the importance of rigorous, innovative journalism in uncovering historical injustices and their lasting impact on descendants.