Enterprise Story by Claire Boston Places Seventh in National Hearst Contest
The Article Highlights Dangerous Work Conditions at the Fulton State Hospital
San Francisco (Jan. 10, 2015) — An enterprise reporting story by Claire Boston, “Inside Fulton State Hospital: Severe Disrepair Threatens Patient Care, Safety,” earned seventh place in the 55th annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation‘s Journalism Awards Program. There were 108 entries received in this category submitted from 62 schools.
Boston, a dual major in journalism and economics, is a senior print and digital news student. Her story, which was published in the Columbia Missourian, highlighted why the 163-year-old facility – the oldest psychiatric hospital west of the Mississippi and Missouri’s largest in-patient psychiatric institution – is a difficult place for patients to get well and for professionals to work.
“The state had put off millions of dollars of repairs to a building that still had hundreds of patients and more than 1,000 staff members,” Boston said. “The dangerous working conditions there have cost Missouri millions in worker compensation. Politicians in Jefferson City had known about the problem for years, but couldn’t manage to get the funding for a new hospital together.”
Boston will receive a certificate of merit for her top 10 win in the national competition.
Judging the writing competitions this year are: Arthur Brisbane, retired editor and corporate executive, Knight Ridder Newspapers; Nicole Carroll, vice president/news and executive editor, The Arizona Republic; and Mike Leary, senior vice president and editor, San Antonio Express-News in Texas.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program is conducted under the auspices of accredited schools of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and fully funded and administered by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. The program awards up to $500,000 in scholarships and grants annually.
Updated: July 31, 2020