ProPublica reporter Alec MacGillis is the recipient of this month’s Sidney Award for his investigation, “The Beleaguered Tenants of ‘Kushnerville.’” Co-published with the New York Times Magazine, the story shines a light on Jared Kushner’s role as a real estate developer and landlord to hundreds of tenants in low-income housing units in the Baltimore suburbs.
MacGillis chronicled how President Trump’s son-in-law's company bought up rental complexes only to leave the homes in extreme disrepair, humiliate late-paying renters, and sue them for thousands of dollars when they try to move out. Before MacGillis’ reporting, few tenants knew who their landlord was.
“MacGillis has unmasked the president’s closest advisor as a slumlord,” said Sidney judge Lindsay Beyerstein. “His reporting raises urgent questions about whether Housing and Urban Development will enforce Section 8 housing regulations when the landlord is ‘Secretary of Everything.’”
Administered by the Sidney Hillman Foundation, the monthly Hillman Award recognizes “outstanding journalism that fosters social and economic justice.” Read more about the award here.
