Steve Reilly is an American

investigative reporter Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years res ...

for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...

'' known for his investigation into flaws in the national educator background check system, which was a finalist for the 2017

Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting The Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded since 1953, under one name or another, for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in a U.S. news publica ...

Education and career

Reilly grew up in

Downingtown, Pennsylvania Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings a ...

and graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely fol ...

in 2009. Reilly began his career at newspapers in Pennsylvania and New York. His reporting for the

Press & Sun-Bulletin The ''Press & Sun-Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper serving the area around Binghamton, New York. It was formed by the 1985 merger of ''The Evening Press'' (which was known as ''The Binghamton Press'' prior to 1960) and ''The Sun-Bulletin''. I ...

was awarded the Distinguished Investigative Reporting Award of Excellence by the New York News Publishers Association. He was a finalist for the

Livingston Award The Livingston Awards at the University of Michigan are American journalism awards issued to media professionals under the age of 35 for local, national, and international reporting. They are the largest, all-media, general reporting prizes in Ame ...

for Local Reporting for a 2014 report on workers in New York paid less than minimum wage. Reilly joined ''USA Today'' as an investigative reporter in 2014. In 2015, he led a reporting project the

Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...

described as a “massive investigation” which identified more than 70,000 untested rape kits held by local and state law enforcement agencies in the United States. The investigation was followed by local reforms and new legislation in at least 20 states addressing protocols for handling sexual assault evidence. Reilly was a finalist for the 2016 Livingston Award for National Reporting for the investigation. In 2017, Reilly was named a finalist for the

"for a far-reaching investigation that used two ambitious data-gathering efforts to turn up 9,000 teachers across the nation who should have been flagged for past disciplinary offenses but were not." The series led to national reforms for background check system for educators. According to USA Today, it marked the first time the newspaper was recognized as a finalist in the investigative reporting category of the Pulitzer Prizes. Reilly has reported on the business operations of President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

, including a report detailing allegations that Trump's companies failed to pay bills to hundreds of contractors and workers and a 2018 report on a newly formed corporation selling Trump-brand merchandise. He has also shared with colleagues the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism and recognition from the Overseas Press Club and Education Writers Association.

Awards

* 2017 Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting * 2016 Finalist for the Livingston Award for National Reporting * 2015 Finalist for the Livingston Award for Local Reporting *2012 New York News Publishers Association Distinguished Investigative Reporting Award of Excellence

References

External links

Appearances
on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United Stat ...

Steve Reilly
on Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, Steve American male journalists USA Today people Living people Vassar College alumni 21st-century American journalists Journalists from Pennsylvania Year of birth missing (living people)