NBC Connecticut / WVIT won the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its investigative series, “Crumbling Foundations” that exposed the cause of hundreds of homes with deteriorating concrete foundations, including the connection to a single concrete company.
NBC Connecticut / WVIT won the prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for its investigative series, “Crumbling Foundations” that exposed the cause of hundreds of homes with deteriorating concrete foundations, including the connection to a single concrete company.
The duPont-Columbia awards honor the best in broadcast, documentary and online reporting.
“The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters have devoted hundreds of hours in the past 18 months to determine the real scope of the problem, expose the causes that led to the deterioration in residential foundations and raise awareness about this widespread problem to help affected residents get answers and some type of relief,” said Susan Tully, President and General Manager of NBC Connecticut. “We are humbled that our investigative work has been recognized with this prestigious honor. We will continue to dig in and ask the questions that need to be asked on behalf of our viewers, as this story evolves.”
NBC Connecticut’s Troubleshooters investigation into Eastern Connecticut’s crumbling concrete foundations began in June 2015 after a local viewer called the station with a tip about a crumbling wall. Since then, the station has reported dozens of hard-hitting stories that revealed that hundreds of residents have been affected by crumbling home foundations. The Troubleshooters were also the first to report that a chemical reaction involving a naturally-occurring mineral called “pyrrhotite” causes the deterioration in the foundations. Additionally, WVIT’s investigative work prompted Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy to launch a multi-agency investigation into the cause and scope of the problem. To watch NBC Connecticut’s “Crumbling Foundations” reports, click here.
The investigation was led by Brad Drazen, News Anchor and Investigative Reporter; David Michnowicz, Photojournalist/Editor; Sharon Butterworth, Executive Producer and George Colli, Investigative Reporter.
The Alfred I. duPont Awards ceremony will take place at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library in New York City on Wednesday, January 25, 2017. For more information about the 2017 duPont Awards winners, click here and follow on social media using the hashtag #duPont2017.
For more information about NBC Connecticut, please visit nbcconnecticut.com.
About NBC Connecticut
Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC Connecticut / WVIT serves its audience with local news and weather information across multiple platforms. This includes more than 40 hours of newscasts each week on WVIT, news segments on CT COZI TV and digital content on NBCConnecticut.com. The station is Connecticut’s leader with Facebook and Instagram followers and provides mobile users on-the-go breaking news updates and weather information through its customized applications. NBC Connecticut’s commitment to excellence in journalism has been recognized with numerous Emmy Awards and the prestigious Peabody Award.
