"It's sitting with people:" How The Baltimore Banner got the overdose story. - Poynter

"It was sitting in senior homes for like 10 hours every day for a week,"

"It was standing on corners where we, with Nick's data, were able to find where a lot of overdoses were happening and talking to every single person that walks past."

"It's sitting with people. We had a source that we spoke to for a year that we didn't photograph for a year, but we sat down multiple times. We were in constant communication.These are people going through real things, and we just have to be ready when they're ready and explore that."

Alissa Zhu, Jessica Gallagher and Nick Thieme of The Baltimore Banner sued for autopsy reports from Maryland's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and compiled a public dataset other newsrooms could use for investigations. They combined rigorous data analysis with sustained in-person reporting, spending long hours in nursing homes and standing on corners to map overdose hotspots using geocoded data. Reporters prioritized relationship-building, often delaying photography until sources felt ready and maintaining constant communication. The project partnered with The New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship and won the 2025 Frank A. Blethen Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. The reporting was featured on the WriteLane podcast and YouTube.

Read at Poynter