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# Investigate Midwest wins top honor for uncovering environmental impact of Nebraska governor’s global hog empire
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/investigate-midwest-wins-top-honor-for-uncovering-environmental-impact-of-nebraska-governors-global-hog-empire/
- Published: 2024-10-28T14:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-10-28T14:00:00.000Z
- Description: Judges from the Society of Environmental Journalists praised the investigation as a 'masterful' job of investigative reporting that uncovered the 'hidden environmental impacts' of a hog farm empire linked to groundwater contamination and childhood cancer.
- Author: Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Awards, TP::News, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

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Our collaborative series with the Flatwater Free Press on Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen’s [global hog enterprise](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/jim-pillens-rise-after-building-pork-empire-nebraskas-governor-stands-at-intersection-of-state-and-ag-power/), [water quality issues](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/pillens-water-high-nitrate-detected-on-hog-farms-owned-by-nebraskas-governor/) surrounding his operations, and his [p](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/pillens-rise-after-building-pork-empire-nebraskas-governor-stands-at-intersection-of-state-and-ag-power/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)[olitical influence over agricultural policy](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/nebraska-gov-jim-pillens-office-industry-groups-crafted-bill-easing-ag-permitting-process-emails-show/?ref=investigatemidwest.org) has won **first place** in **Explanatory Reporting** from the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ). Judges [praised the series](https://www.sej.org/outstanding-explanatory-reporting-small-sej-23rd-annual-awards-reporting-environment?ref=investigatemidwest.org), co-written by senior reporter Sky Chadde and Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu, for its **“masterful" investigative reporting** that uncovered the hidden environmental impacts of Pillen’s hog empire.

Despite facing personal attacks, including those targeting reporter Yanqi Xu’s nationality, the team’s relentless pursuit of truth earned high praise from judges, who commended their tenacity in uncovering the hidden consequences of the governor's industrial-scale hog farming operations.

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> *Yanqi Xu and Sky Chadde painstakingly sifted through thousands of records to uncover the hidden environmental impact of an industrial-scale hog farm empire owned by a state governor and its role in contamination of groundwater with a substance linked to childhood cancer.*  
>  
> **Judges' comments**

Earlier this year, the series also received **the top business reporting award** in the **government (small division)** category from the **Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing** (SABEW) in its 2024 Best of Business awards. This recognition underscores the critical importance of investigating the intersection of politics, business, and environmental health.  

[Read more of our award-winning work here.](https://investigatemidwest.org/our-awards/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)