Hannah Dreyfus
Hannah Dreyfus was an Abrams Reporting Fellow at ProPublica.
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Hannah Dreyfus was an Abrams reporting fellow covering abuse. Her 2021 investigation into Liberty University’s mishandling of campus sexual assault won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics in Journalism Award and a National Award for Education Reporting in investigative reporting from the Education Writers Association. She was also a finalist for the 2021 Livingston Awards, which recognize exceptional work by journalists under 35.
In 2019, Dreyfus was recognized as a Writer of the Year by the New York Press Association for her investigation into sexual harassment and assault in Jewish nonprofit organizations. In March of that year, she partnered with ProPublica and The New York Times on an investigation into billionaire and philanthropic titan Michael Steinhardt and decades of alleged harassment toward women beholden to him for funding or jobs.
Dreyfus received a BA in English literature from Yeshiva University, after which she reported for the New York Jewish Week. Her work has appeared in the Times, Mother Jones, Politico, Slate and elsewhere.
Dreyfus is based in Phoenix.
Liberty University Hit With Record Fines for Failing to Handle Complaints of Sexual Assault, Other Crimes
Spurred by a ProPublica investigation, the federal Department of Education found the evangelical school in Virginia had discouraged students from reporting rape and other crimes.
Parental Alienation: A Disputed Theory With Big Implications
The impact of junk science in criminal cases is well known, but family courts have allowed a disputed psychological theory to persist with little scrutiny.
Both Parents Agree: The Child Is Being Harmed. Which One Will the Court Believe?
A child said he was being sexually and physically abused by his father. The father alleged the mother was brainwashing the child against him. One reporter dug into years of case files to understand how courts decided to interpret the facts.
Colorado Becomes the First State to Limit Court Use of Family Reunification Camps
A new bill restricts the use of reunification programs and requires domestic violence training for experts in custody cases. Lawmakers credit ProPublica’s reporting for exposing the need for reforms in the family court system.
A Court Ordered Siblings to a Reunification Camp With Their Estranged Father. The Children Say It Was Abusive.
Family courts are increasingly using programs like Turning Points for Families to treat the disputed psychological theory of parental alienation. But little is publicly known about the programs’ controversial methods.
Judge Pauses Order to Return Siblings to Father They Say Abused Them
Utah lawmakers call for examination of court-ordered reunification after a judge was persuaded by the theory of parental alienation to order Ty and Brynlee Larson back into their father’s custody.
Colorado Lawmakers Consider Reforms to the Way Family Courts Handle Abuse Allegations
Several people who testified in favor of the proposed reforms are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against former custody evaluator Mark Kilmer, alleging fraud and breach of contract.
Barricaded Siblings Turn to TikTok While Defying Court Order to Return to Father They Say Abused Them
A judge concluded the children were victims of parental alienation, which continues to influence family courts despite being rejected by mainstream scientific groups, and authorized police to use “reasonable force” to remove them from their mother.
Colorado Suspends One Family Court Custody Expert, Reviews All Custody Evaluators Following ProPublica Investigation
A state-approved list of custody evaluators included some who had been accused of domestic violence and disciplined by the State Board of Psychologist Examiners.
The Custody Evaluator Who Disbelieves 90% of Abuse Allegations He Hears
In Colorado family courts, parents can request an expert evaluation of their case, which sometimes includes allegations of abuse. Mark Kilmer is routinely appointed to evaluate families despite his own history of domestic violence.