Jacksonville Today Earns National Recognition in 2026 Nonprofit News Awards
Four-part series “The Show Must Go On” named Best Investigative Journalism – Small Division
June 29, 2026 — Jacksonville, Fla. — Jacksonville Today received national recognition from the Institute for Nonprofit News in its 2026 Nonprofit News Awards (the INNYs). “The Show Must Go On,” a four-part investigation by Jacksonville Today reporter Megan Mallicoat, earned the Best Investigative Journalism award in the program’s Small Division.
The 2025 series examines who knew what, when, and what action they took when confronted with reports of misconduct by teachers at Jacksonville’s flagship arts school, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The series was based on tens of thousands of pages of public records and documents, as well as dozens of interviews with current and former Douglas Anderson students, parents, teachers, administrators and district officials.
This award joins a growing list of accolades for Jacksonville Today, which WJCT Public Media launched in 2021 to produce in-depth digital reporting to complement the public media organization’s legacy news broadcasts on WJCT News 89.9.
“This series resulted from Megan’s tenacity and countless hours of planning, editing, rewriting and consultations with our lawyers. I’m proud to see that work pay off with this incredible honor,” said Jessica Palombo, editorial director of WJCT Public Media and editor of Jacksonville Today.
The sixth annual INNYs recognized 26 award winners across 11 categories on June 16, 2026, during the Institute for Nonprofit News’ annual conference. The program honors excellence in journalism, leadership, innovation and public service across the field of nonprofit news, often showcasing stories of people and places not featured in traditional news reporting.
Jacksonville Today plans to produce more investigative projects with the recent addition of a new reporter. As the newsroom approaches its fifth anniversary this fall, the momentum of this award — coupled with a growing team — reinforces the importance of local, independent journalism in Northeast Florida.
“Last year, WJCT Public Media completed its transition to a fully community-owned model. Awards like this one validate the trust that each reader, donor and community partner places in our team every day,” said Geri Cirillo, interim president and CEO of WJCT Public Media. “At a time when newsrooms around the nation are shrinking, we’re proud to be growing in both size and credibility. We’re grateful to see Jacksonville Today among this year’s list of impressive INNY award winners.”
The full list of INNY award winners can be viewed at news.inn.org. To stay up-to-date on Jacksonville Today’s reporting and subscribe to its free weekday newsletter, visit jaxtoday.org.
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