Emily Kennard and Margaret Manto — both of whom are Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows — received this recognition in the “small outlet” category of the 2025 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards for their reporting on a flawed MAHA report.
Their reporting revealed that a flagship report from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA commission was rife with faulty and nonexistent citations. Kennard and Manto went through 522 citations and spoke with the scientists who were incorrectly cited.
“At a time when readers’ attention is stretched in many directions, it’s gratifying to see that an extensively reported story — even one about something as notoriously dry as scientific citations — can have an impact and hold our government accountable,” said Manto, who is also an MIT-trained biologist.
Kennard added: “It’s been uplifting as early career journalists to see our investigative work break through the noise and encourage further reporting.”
The Allbritton Journalism Institute trains new journalists like Kennard and Manto in a two-year, full time fellowship where they learn from top political reporters and report for NOTUS. NOTUS has a robust job placement program where fellows are connected with employment opportunities across the political media ecosystem at the conclusion of the program.
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“The way Margaret and Emily threw themselves into their reporting was amazing — and something even veteran journalists can learn from,” said Elise Foley, a senior editor at NOTUS who edited the piece. “It’s great to get to work with people early in their journalism careers who I know will go on to do amazing things.”
About NOTUS: NOTUS is a newsroom like no other: a mix of veteran reporters and editors working with some of the country’s most promising up-and-coming reporters — individuals from different regions, different backgrounds and different beliefs who have come to Washington as fellows at the Allbritton Journalism Institute.
Together, we cover government and politics with the fresh eyes of newcomers and the expertise of veterans. We call it like we see it, no matter whose narrative it fits or how many clicks it will get.
About AJI: The Allbritton Journalism Institute is a nonprofit educational organization launched in 2023 by Robert Allbritton, the former publisher of Politico. AJI trains aspiring journalists from across the country through a mix of classroom instruction and real-world experience reporting for NOTUS.
For media inquires, contact Justin Peligri: justinpeligri@notus.com
For job opportunities in the NOTUS newsroom, contact editor in chief Tim Grieve: tim@notus.com
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