West Virginia reporter Ken Ward Jr. wins prestigious MacArthur 'Genius Grant.'

A career spent "revealing the human and environmental toll of natural resource extraction in West Virginia and spurring greater accountability among public and private stakeholders."

Investigative journalist Ken Ward, Jr. won a MacArthur "Genius Grant" Thursday for his work spent writing about the people in his native West Virginia and Appalachia, reporting on the coal industry, environmental pollution, and corporate misconduct.


As a staff writer for the Charleston Gazette-Mail for more than 25 years, Ward "fearlessly reports on worker safety violations, environmental hazards, and corporate malfeasance of regional coal and chemical companies," the foundation said.

"He employs familiar tools of the journalistic trade—documentary discovery, Freedom of Information Act filings, one-on-one interviews and the like—but through a combination of tenacity, curiosity, and compassion for the residents of his home state, his investigations uncover the larger context surrounding specific incidents and inspire empathy for victims and their families."

Ward is one of 25 so-called geniuses recognized by the foundation for their creativity and potential to "innovate, take risks, and pursue their creative vision."

Other winners include the Rev. William J. Barber II, a social justice advocate and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., poet Natalie Diaz from Tempe, Ariz., and Princeton University mathematician Allan Sly. The 2018 MacArthur Fellows each receive a no-strings attached $625,000 award.

"Working in diverse fields, from the arts and sciences to public health and civil liberties, these 25 MacArthur Fellows are solving long-standing scientific and mathematical problems, pushing art forms into new and emerging territories, and addressing the urgent needs of under-resourced communities," said Cecilia Conrad, managing director of the MacArthur Fellows Program. "Their exceptional creativity inspires hope in us all."

Ward has spent decades of exposing the true economic, social, and health impacts of industrial abuse on Appalachian residents and communities. One recent investigation uncovered decades of government inaction around black lung disease that allowed it to continue to afflict miners even as regulators and politicians assured the public it was no longer a threat.

His reporting on a 2014 chemical spill that contaminated the drinking water of 300,000 people included an examination of the widespread lack of emergency planning and accident prevention in the coal and chemical industry. In his current work for the ProPublica Local Reporting Network, the foundation said, he is investigating the growth of the natural gas industry in West Virginia and its impact on communities and the environment.

Ward graduated from West Virginia University in 1990 and began working at the Charleston Gazette-Mail a year later. He is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Society of Environmental Journalists.

several rows of solar panels on a roof

Climate activist Bill McKibben to Houston: It’s solar’s time to shine

Speaking in the heart of the oil industry, climate activist Bill McKibben said solar power has become the cheapest and fastest-growing energy source, offering Texas a path to lead the clean energy transition.

landscape photography of trees and mountains with melting snow in the foreground

New Hampshire snowpack decline reveals hidden impacts on forests and water

New England residents know that snow is disappearing from our landscape, and scientists have proven that climate change is to blame. But the effects of snowpack decline go far beyond what’s visible.
a couple of people walking across a dry field

Syria's worst drought in decades pushes millions to the brink

A devastating drought has slashed Syria’s wheat harvests by 40%, pushing millions closer to food insecurity as bread prices soar and farmers abandon their land.

A man sitting at a desk with a laptop and computer printouts

Trump's call to end quarterly reports gets unlikely support from climate-conscious investors

A call by Donald Trump to ditch quarterly corporate reporting has received cautious support from an unlikely source: international investors pushing business to do more on longer-term sustainability issues, many lambasted by the U.S. president.
An aerial view of a rail yard with tracks and trains

Effort to curb Southern California rail yard pollution stalls under Trump

A landmark rule to cut toxic emissions from Southern California’s rail yards has been blocked under the Trump administration, leaving communities in the Inland Empire pushing state officials to take action.

Marching for climate with sign:  "There Is No Planet B"
Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash

It isn’t just the U.S. The whole world has soured on climate politics.

How do we think about the climate future, now that the era marked by the Paris Agreement has so utterly disappeared?
An old oil pump jack in a dry field

New Mexico’s billion-dollar oilfield orphans

A recent report warns that bankrupt oil companies could leave New Mexico with up to $1.6 billion in cleanup costs, as orphaned wells and leaking tank batteries pile up.

From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.