L.A. Times Staff Writer Rebecca Ellis Honored with National Press Club Award
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Los Angeles Times staff writer Rebecca Ellis has won the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s 2026 Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism. The honor, announced today, promotes the practice of investigative journalism exemplifying compassion, courage and integrity.
Ellis was recognized for her investigation into L.A. County’s $4-billion settlement for sex abuse inside its juvenile halls and foster homes. Ellis’ reporting found plaintiffs in the settlement who claimed they received cash to sue the county. The investigation raised questions about the vetting of claims underlying the largest sex-abuse settlement in U.S. history. Ellis’ subsequent reporting prompted a criminal fraud investigation, a State Bar probe, a new vetting process for thousands of sex abuse cases and legislation to penalize unethical lawyers.
“Rebecca’s work took on an extraordinarily difficult and consequential subject, challenged assumptions surrounding a historic settlement and brought sustained scrutiny to a system with enormous implications for victims, institutions and the public,” said Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute. “It is the kind of ambitious, deeply reported journalism that reminds us what investigative reporting can accomplish at its best.”
The Institute’s board praised Ellis’ work as a powerful example of shoe-leather reporting and careful source development, particularly her approach to interviewing people who were vulnerable because of their experiences with sexual assault or their financial circumstances.
“These stories aimed to show what happens when California’s legal system is exploited for profit and greed to the detriment of victims. I am deeply honored to see this work recognized by the National Press Club,” Ellis said. “I’m especially grateful to the sources who took a risk and trusted me with their stories and to my editors at the L.A. Times who supported this reporting as it grew far beyond what we anticipated.”
Before joining The Times in 2022, Ellis covered local government and national news at Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Miami Herald and NPR. A three-time Livingston Award finalist, her investigation into L.A. County’s sex-abuse settlement has won first place prizes for investigative reporting at the National Headliner Awards and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards.
The National Press Club and Journalism Institute will present the 2026 Sheehan Award during its annual Fourth Estate Award Gala on Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C. To learn more about the honor, visit press.org.
