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# Mónica Cordero honored for investigative reporting at Iowa newspaper awards
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/monica-cordero-honored-for-investigative-reporting-at-iowa-newspaper-awards/
- Published: 2026-02-11T19:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-11T19:00:00.000Z
- Author: Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Awards, iowa newspaper association awards, monica cordero, TP::News, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Investigate Midwest received multiple honors at the 2026 Iowa Newspaper Association Awards, recognizing both investigative reporting and newsroom-wide excellence in agricultural coverage and visual storytelling.

***Mónica Cordero*, our Iowa-based reporter, won second place for the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting for her multi-story submission:**  
  
**[Iowa’s polluted waterways rarely see improvement. Lawmakers still resist efforts to regulate industrial ag](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/iowas-polluted-waterways-rarely-see-improvement-lawmakers-still-resist-efforts-to-regulate-industrial-ag/)** — *An analysis by Investigative Midwest found that a substantial share of Iowa’s rivers and lakes labeled as impaired have remained in poor condition for at least a decade, highlighting persistent pollution risks for swimmers, boaters, and others who regularly use these waters.*

**[Meatpacking plants mostly pollute low-income, communities of color, EPA data shows](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/meatpacking-plants-mostly-pollute-low-income-communities-of-color-epa-data-shows/)** — *Postville, Iowa, has long dealt with the fallout from Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the town’s largest employer.*

**[America’s largest corn company, Corteva Agriscience, pledges no supply chain abuses. It’s hired a repeat offender in Iowa for years](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/americas-largest-corn-company-corteva-agriscience-labor-supply-chain-abuses-tbell-iowa/)** — *Corn is used in everything from potato chips to jet fuel. A major industry player that processes the raw material has relied on a labor contractor, T. Bell Detasseling, that has violated multiple federal labor laws over more than a decade.*

The Investigate Midwest newsroom also placed third for **"Best Coverage of Agriculture"** and **"Best Use of Graphics**" with multi-story submissions.