CHARLOTTE — Channel 9’s Investigative Reporting team, in collaboration with other Cox Media Group stations and KFF Health News, has earned one of journalism’s highest honors: a 2026 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award.
The award recognizes “Social Security’s Secret,” a behind-the-scenes look at the investigative reporting that exposed the real-world impact of Social Security Administration (SSA) payback demands. These SSA practice left millions of Americans, including some in the Carolinas, facing unexpected financial hardship and prompted sweeping policy changes in the nation’s capital.
“CMG’s mission is to improve lives and inspire communities through our passionate people, powerful brands, and unmatched content,” said Cedric Thomas, VP-GM for WSOC-TV. “Our Investigative Reporting team is at the heart of that and has broken numerous stories that made a difference for millions of people.”
The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award marks the fifth national award for the show.
“Social Security’s Secret” is an hour-long news special based on CMG’s investigative series, “Overpayment Outrage.” The special showed how a dozen reporters from across all of CMG’s local television stations and KFF Health News worked together to expose the real-world impacts of Social Security Administration (SSA) overpayment clawbacks, which affected roughly two million people each year. It featured personal stories of more than three dozen people to highlight how burdensome the SSA’s clawbacks had become for millions of benefit recipients. “Social Security’s Secret” aired on in all of CMG’s TV markets and on its streaming platforms.
As a result of this reporting, the Social Security Administration announced sweeping policy changes to stop what then-SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley called the “clawback cruelty” of withholding 100 percent of people’s benefits to recoup overpayments. Instead, the agency ultimately defaulted to a 10-percent withholding, made overpayment statements easier to understand, and shifted the burden of proof from the beneficiaries to the agency. The SSA has since reverted to a 50-percent withholding.
The collaborative reporting highlights the value of local news and investigative reporting, including the impact it can have by affecting change at the national level.
“It’s our privilege and responsibility to shed light on problems like these, which affect so many people in our local communities,” said Jodie Fleischer, CMG’s managing editor for investigative content and collaborations. “When our reporting encourages those in power to take action to improve the lives of millions of people, it just reaffirms our mission to protect consumers and positively impact the people and communities we serve.”
The duPont-Columbia Awards have been administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for more than 80 years. These awards are considered broadcast media’s version of the Pulitzer and recognize outstanding audio and video journalism across broadcast and digital platforms.
In addition to the duPont-Columbia Award, other major awards for “Overpayment Outrage” and “Social Security’s Secret,” produced by all CMG local television stations in collaboration with KFF Health News, include:
- Pulitzer Prize finalist
- Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Network TV News Documentary
- Gerald Loeb Award for Best Video Reporting
- Goldsmith Award Special Citation for Government Reporting
- National Press Foundation Feddie Award
- Center for Integrity in News Reporting
- National Headliner Award for Public Service (Broadcast TV)
- Barlett & Steele Gold Prize for Regional/Local Reporting
- SABEW (Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing) Best in Business Award
- AHCJ Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism
- Society of Professional Journalists’ D.C. Dateline Awards for:
- Television Investigative Journalism,
- Online Investigative Journalism, and
- Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award for journalism that best protects the public from abuses of power
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
