Deadline Detroit investigative reporter Violet Ikonomova was named Young Journalist of the Year for 2019 by the Detroit Society of Professional Journalists.
The judges reviewed a package of watchdog reports covering Detroit City Hall, writing that they “revealed a young journalist who digs for facts and ... who takes complex subjects and writes about them in a way that makes them easily understood.”
Ikonomova has investigated:
- The poor outcomes of a home discount program for city employees and their family members.
- How the city and Land Bank spent tens of millions of dollars to demolish tax-foreclosed homes that could have been saved for half the cost.
- How rules to prevent bad actors from buying property in the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction go unenforced, fueling blight.
- A breakdown in Detroit police oversight that allowed the department to use facial recognition technology for nearly two years without community buy-in.
- A Detroit city councilman indicted on bribery charges.
- Leniency afforded to the Ilitch organization by the quasi-public city agency tasked with holding it accountable.
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Violet shares the honor with Riley Beggin of Bridge Magazine.
The Detroit News’ Robert Snell was named Journalist of the Year for his work covering the UAW’s corruption scandal.
Lifetime achievement awards go to WWJ Newsradio 950 city beat reporter Vickie Thomas; U.S. District Court public information officer David Ashenfelter; and Crain Communications president Mary Kramer.
