GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The second Collier Spotlight award, a quarterly certificate recognizing groundbreaking reporting on state government institutions, is awarded to the New Hampshire Bulletin and reporter William Skipworth for its investigation into systemic abuse and neglect in the state’s intellectual and developmental disability care system.
In its three-part series, the Bulletin reported that from January 2023 through June 2025, there were 467 credible reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation against people in this system investigated by the state. Records obtained by the Bulletin also showed that 119 people died in the system during this time period.
As a result of the project, the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center launched an investigation into the system, and state senators filed legislation to address abuse and neglect in care facilities.
Said one Collier juror: “Dogged reporting by a small newsroom has uncovered systemic abuse of one of the most vulnerable populations in the state's care.”
Said another: “This reporting systematically examined more than 1,400 complaints against state institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, revealing shocking instances of mistreatment. They included a person who died after being left in a hot car, a person found dead in the woods near where he was supposed to be cared for under the state system, and a person sexually assaulted while under state care. The reporting prompted an investigation by a federally designated protection and advocacy agency.”
William Skipworth is the Bulletin’s health reporter. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and a native of Texas. Prior to joining the Bulletin, he wrote for Forbes, PolitiFact and newspapers across the country, including in Indiana, Missouri and Texas.
The New Hampshire Bulletin is an independent, nonprofit news organization started in 2021. It has a staff of five fulltime journalists, and is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
The goal of the Collier Spotlight is to expand the impact of the Collier Prize initiative — and encourage news organizations to tackle more state government accountability reporting. Spotlight certificates, which include a $500 honorarium, are awarded quarterly by the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability.
The Collier Spotlight is part of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
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 December 2025 and March 31, 2026.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.
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