Alone and Exploited

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This brilliant, enraging five-part series exposes the astonishing resurgence of child labor in the United States, and reveals the profound failures that have led to this shadow workforce.

Judges described the five-part series as “brilliant” “enraging,” “public service journalism at its finest," “exposing widespread use and abuse of a category of workers that is not supposed to exist.” They praised Hannah Dreier’s “careful approach to the story” and her “incredibly thorough and broad reporting – including interviewing child laborers in all 50 states.” They said “the intention to show survivors in their strength and pride is reflected in the writing as well as the photography,” and praised the series for “not asking for pity for these kids but rather, understanding, and for demanding that our communities and our leaders do better.” They commended the project’s “emphasis on accountability” and called its impact “immediate,” noting that it “prompted action from government and from industry.”

Originally published by The New York Times in 2023.