Austin NBC affiliate KXAN, Louisville Courier-Journal recipients of 2025 American Legion Fourth Estate Awards.
An Austin, Texas television station and a Louisville, Ky., newspaper will receive American Legion Fourth Estate Awards during the organization’s 106th National Convention Tampa, Fla., on August 28.
The Fourth Estate Award has been presented annually by The American Legion since 1958 for outstanding achievement in the field of journalism. Nominations in 2025 were considered in broadcast and print categories. They were selected by the organization’s Media & Communications Commission during its meeting in Indianapolis earlier this month.
Taking top honor in the broadcast category is KXAN, an NBC affiliate. In its special four-part docuseries, “A Hanging on Backbone Creek,” investigative reporter Josh Hinkle investigated the mysterious death of a 13-year-old girl that occurred 59 years earlier. The local justice of the peace ruled the death as an accident, though many believe there is evidence of murder. The station examined a statewide policy that allows elected justices of the peace to determine causes of death without requiring autopsies from medical examiners or coroners. The station also pointed out that many justices of the peace lack law enforcement or medical backgrounds.
The Courier Journal of Louisville, Ky., is being recognized for its 2024 series “Silence & Secrets.” Lead reporter Stephanie Kuzydym explored cases of sexual misconduct and molestation that have occurred in Kentucky schools. The reporting has pressured state lawmakers to strengthen preventative measures during its recent legislative session. It is the second consecutive Fourth Estate Award for the Courier Journal and Kuzydym.
“The American Legion has always valued the role that the free press has played in shaping policy for a free and democratic society,’ said James A. LaCoursiere, Jr., national commander of The American Legion. “Our Fourth Estate Award winners are being recognized not just for excellent journalism but for the positive impact that their work has had in their communities. I look forward to congratulating these outstanding winners when I present them their awards in Tampa this summer.”
Previous winners of the award include CNN, CBS, USA Today, ABC News, C-SPAN, the Milwaukee Journal, and Life Magazine, among others.
- Convention