Skipworth wins two awards for disability system investigation

Investigation receives two honors

New Hampshire Bulletin staff reporter William Skipworth received two honors at the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s fall awards on Oct. 9.

Skipworth won the first-place A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism for “A System of Harm,” his three-part examination of abuse and neglect in New Hampshire’s disability care system. The same series also received a Publick Occurrences award, which recognizes journalism produced by New England newspapers.

The A-Mark Foundation presents investigative reporting awards in every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The regional association held its annual fall awards at the Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

Skipworth has worked as a Bulletin staff reporter since January 2025. The Bulletin published his months-long investigation in November 2025.

State action followed the series

The investigation preceded several reviews and policy steps involving New Hampshire’s disability care system. In July, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed Senate Bill 670, which strengthened protections for people with disabilities in state care. The state senator behind the measure described the Bulletin investigation as the starting point for the legislation.

Disability Rights Center-New Hampshire, a federally funded watchdog organization, also opened an investigation after determining that the reporting established grounds for further examination. The state convened a System Review Committee that questioned officials, held public educational meetings and issued recommendations for changes to the system.

The series previously received a Livingston Award for local reporting, third place in investigative reporting from the National Association of Health Care Journalists and several New Hampshire Press Association awards. Those state honors included Journalist of the Year for Skipworth.