The Pulliam First Amendment Award is given to journalists nationwide who have “highlighted the importance of the First Amendment, especially a free press,” according to the award’s website.

In a news release issued by the Society of Professional Journalists, the award selection committee wrote, “This college newspaper entry was an excellent example of courageous and thorough coverage of MSU’s failures in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.”

Larry Nassar, a former osteopathic physician who worked at MSU for nearly 20 years and was a team doctor for USA Gymnastics, was found guilty of sexually abusing hundreds of women and is currently serving a life sentence.

Survivors had demanded the release of the Nassar documents for years, a request long resisted by MSU. On Dec. 15, 2023, the university’s Board of Trustees voted to waive privilege and provide the documents to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. At the time, it was known that the files detailed how the university handled the scandal after the first public accusations. Nessel reopened a criminal investigation, which she closed in September 2024 without filing charges.

After concluding her investigation, Nessel voluntarily released her office’s files — more than 30,000 pages stored in one unorganized OneDrive folder — to the media. Walters, McCarthy and Scheer combed through the trove and published 12 stories over the course of a week, outlining how MSU responded to the Nassar scandal.

“The persistence to tackle something this massive, the methodical dedication to do it right and the resilience to push through when the work was exhausting, those qualities define what investigative journalism should be,” said Chris Richert, general manager of The State News.

In past years, the Pulliam award has been given to newsrooms including The Boston Globe, The Associated Press and the Detroit Free Press, among others. The award will be presented at the MediaFest25 convention in mid-October. The three reporters will attend the conference along with other State News employees.

“The State News board of directors, our dedicated professional staff and I have worked hard to create a newsroom where editorial independence is protected, journalistic integrity is the standard and serving the public good drives every decision,” Richert said. “This award tells us that approach works.”