Eleonora Bianchi (’22) and Leah Rosenbaum (’19) have been named finalists in the 2026 INNY Awards, honoring the best in nonprofit newsgathering.
Eleonora Bianchi (‘22)
Judges comments:
For “Hidden In Plain Sight,” a contender for the Insight Award for Visual Journalism in the Medium division, the New Bedford Light took a creative risk. Photos of residents of a Guatemalan community obscure most of the subjects’ faces. One woman’s back is turned to the camera as she washes dishes. Another woman holds her cat, Jumpito, in front of her face. Other photos show elements of residents’ lives: food, textiles, and splintered wood strewn around doors that federal agents broke through.
The subjects appear to be hiding their identity and pain while “amplifying their displacement,” a judge wrote. The photographs reflect breaking news and a “documentary exploration” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the community, they continued.
“The photos have humanity and a sense of immediacy, as if you are living the horror.”
Melissa, 15, holds a photo of herself in her father’s arms as a child. He was supposed to pick her up from school when he was detained by immigration agents. “I don’t know how the law works,” Melissa said. “I just want my dad back.” Credit: Eleonora Bianchi / The New Bedford Light
“Being named an INNY finalist means a lot to me,” Bianchi said. “At The New Bedford Light, I’ve seen firsthand how nonprofit local journalism can truly serve communities by reaching the most vulnerable, giving space to their voices and focus on the impact stories can have rather than chasing clicks.”
Leah Rosenbaum (’19)
Leah Rosenbaum (’19), is a finalist in two categories: an Insight Award for Explanatory Journalism for “Terminating Treatment” for The War Horse, and Journalism Collaboration of the Year for The War Horse and NPR for “VA Warned These Companies They May Be Breaking the Law. Most Are Still in Business.” The investigation revealed that over the past 10 years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has sent more than 40 letters to dozens of claims consulting companies, sometimes called “claims sharks” by critics, warning them to review their practices and “immediately cease” any illegal activities. Yet this hasn’t stopped them. On the contrary, many of these companies have only gotten bigger and bolder. Alum Sonner Kehrt (’18) of The War Horse contributed reporting to “Terminating Treatment”.
“I’m so grateful to be nominated as a finalist for the Nonprofit News Awards, which celebrates the importance of nonprofit news that holds power to account without having to bow to corporate interests,” Rosenbaum said.
Listen to her discuss the response to The War Horse/NPR investigation into companies charging vets for free benefits, on NPR’s All Things Considered:
Illustration for Journalism Collaboration of the Year finalist: VA Warned These Companies They May Be Breaking the Law. Most Are Still in Business, by Hrisanthi Pickett, The War Horse.
About the finalists
Bianchi, a Swiss-Italian journalist, joined the nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news outlet The New Bedford Light in 2022, where she covers immigration, inequities, and local issues through a multimedia lens. In 2025, she was selected as a fellow for the Gloria L. Negri First Amendment Institute. Over the past year, she has received awards from the NAHJ New England Chapter and the New England Newspaper & Press Association for her work in video, photography and writing.
Rosenbaum is an investigative reporter at The War Horse, a nonprofit newsroom that covers the true cost of military service. She was previously a senior health editor at Business Insider. Her work has also been featured in Science News, STAT News, Harvard Public Health News, and other publications. She has a master’s of public health from UC Berkeley.
About the awards
The Institute for Nonprofit News strengthens and supports 500 independent news organizations in a new kind of news network: nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service. From local news to in-depth reporting on pressing global issues, members of the INN Network tell stories that otherwise would go untold – connecting communities, holding the powerful accountable and strengthening civic life.
A record number of INN member newsrooms, 176, participated in the Nonprofit News Awards (INNYs) this year, submitting 563 entries.
INN will announce award winners during a ceremony in Pittsburgh on June 16.