Atlanta Journal-Constitution wins Collier Spotlight Quarterly Journalism Award

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The summer Collier Spotlight award, a quarterly certificate recognizing groundbreaking reporting on state government institutions, is awarded to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) for its investigation into wellness and alternative medicine clinics in Georgia that promote expensive and sometimes dangerous treatments.

“Welcome to Georgia, Where Questionable Therapies Flourish With Little Oversight,’’ documented the booming growth of hundreds of practitioners throughout Georgia that operate storefronts and clinics promoting treatments that run counter to accepted science, mainstream medicine and federal guidelines. The primary reason: lax oversight from a state medical board that is one of the nation’s weakest.

“The board has rarely taken action to rein in doctors who have harmed patients. The board hasn’t even acted when the federal government announced it successfully sued doctors for fraud,” the story states. “The result: an anything-goes atmosphere that attracts patients desperate for miracle cures or hidden secrets to longevity and who often are willing to pay large sums out of pocket.’’

One Collier Spotlight juror said, “the AJC's comprehensive investigation uncovered hundreds of clinics that are allowed to deliver questionable treatments to unknowing patients because of the state's weak medical board. This is aggressive, watchdog reporting at its finest.”

Congratulations to AJC and the reporting team:

Danny Robbins
• Danny Robbins is a long-time investigative reporter who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and other media outlets. He was part of the team at the AJC that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in national reporting in 2017 for its investigation of sexually abusive doctors. Robbins also has been honored for his reporting on the deaths of women in Georgia prisons due to medical neglect and the deplorable conditions at the state prison hospital.

Carrie Teegardin
• Carrie Teegardin is a reporter and part of the investigative team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She was a lead reporter on the AJC's award-winning “Unprotected” series, which prompted Georgia to reform its requirements for senior care homes in 2020. She was a lead reporter on the AJC's “Doctors & Sex Abuse” national investigation, which was a Pulitzer finalist, as well the AJC's “Borrower Beware” series, which won a Gerald Loeb award in 2006.

Phoebe Quinton
• Phoebe Quinton is a data journalist at the Houston Chronicle, where she focuses on elections and government coverage. She previously worked as a data journalist on the politics and investigative teams at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Works considered for this quarterly Spotlight certificate were published between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026.

The Collier Spotlight is part of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. For more information, visit: https://www.jou.ufl.edu/collier-prize-for-state-government-accountability/.

About the Collier Prize:

The Collier Prize includes an annual journalism competition, a symposium devoted to promoting greater scrutiny of state government institutions and a monthly newsletter highlighting great work and best practices. The Prize is awarded each year at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, and includes a $25,000 first prize, the largest award in the country for journalism focused on state institutions.

The Collier Prize for State Government Accountability is funded through an $8 million endowment from Gainesville businessman Nathan S. Collier, founder and chairman of The Collier Companies, to encourage investigative and political reporting focused on state institutions. Collier is a descendant of Peter Fenelon Collier, who in 1888 founded Collier’s, a weekly magazine focused on investigative journalism and publishing stories from renowned journalists such as Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell and Samuel Hopkins Adams.

About the Collier Spotlight:

The Collier Spotlight recognizes standout accountability journalism work. Any U.S. news organization, regardless of platform, is eligible for Spotlight recognition, and anyone can make a nomination. There is no submission fee. To make a nomination, email story links and contact information to collierprize@jou.ufl.edu with a brief explanation of what makes the reporting special. If your news site is password protected, please include login information. The next Spotlight certificate will be awarded for work completed between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026 and will be announced in October. The Spotlight is in addition to the annual Collier Prize for State Government Accountability. Spotlight honorees are not automatically entered for the $25,000 Collier prize, which requires a more detailed entry process and a $50 fee.