Three UC Berkeley Journalism alums have been honored in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Awards for the most outstanding work published or broadcast in 2025.
They are among 73 winners from more than 1,000 entries submitted. The awards recognize excellence in everything from breaking news and investigative reporting to photography, podcasts and cultural criticism.
Singeli Agnew (’07)
Director of Photography Singeli Agnew (’07) was on the team with Amel Guettatfi, Josh Rushing and Adrienne Haspel that won the Television Documentary category for “Kids Under Fire,” a Fault Lines/Al Jazeera English investigation of deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza by Israeli soldiers.
The documentary also won a Peabody Award; the Outstanding Writing and the inaugural Outstanding War or Violent Conflict Coverage categories at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards; a duPont-Columbia Award in the Audio/Radio category (for Reveal’s “Kids Under Fire in Gaza” episode); and the Outstanding International Video category in the IRE Awards.
Drew Costley (’19). Photo: Zayn Ayr
Drew Costley (’19) won the Cultural Criticism category for their story, “I took the National Museum of African American History and Culture for granted. Trump’s threats changed that.” for Verite News. In an announcement, Costley, the news site’s assistant managing editor, said they were grateful for SPJ’s recognition and “even more grateful that people read the essay and that it was impactful to them. SPJ is the standard-bearer of our industry, so it means the world that the judges for this contest deemed some of the work that we do at Verite News worthy of recognition.”
Susie Neilson (’19)
San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporter Susie Neilson (’19) won the Consumer/Retail Reporting category, along with Megan Fan Munce and Sara DiNatale, for “Burned.” The series published in the San Francisco Chronicle revealed an algorithm that underpins home insurance coverage in California that often leaves homeowners unprotected when disaster strikes. The series also uncovered the tactics insurers use to slash payments for damaged homes and how insurance insiders are influencing the rules meant to regulate the industry.
The series also won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, an IRE Award in the Regional Outstanding Print/Online category and the Barlett & Steele Award for Investigative Business Journalism. The series won First Place in the Division 1 Investigative Reporting category at the California Journalism Awards, the Video Category in the Headliner Awards, the 2025 SABEW Best in Business Award in the Explanatory Reporting (Medium division) category, the Explanatory Journalism category in the Society of Professional Journalists Northern California awards and a UF Collier Spotlight Certificate Award, recognizing groundbreaking reporting on state government institutions.
