UCF Alumna Wins Spring 2013 I.F. Stone Award

The I.F. Stone Award was launched in October 2011 to support the work of emerging investigative reporters, including journalism graduate students, recent graduates, journalism interns, and entry-level reporters. Twice a year, in the fall and spring, The Investigative Fund accepts investigative proposals from young and emerging reporters, or reporting teams, and selects one or two I.F. Stone Award winners. This year, The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute announced alumna Bianca Fortis, ’10, as the Spring 2013 I.F. Stone Award winner.

Fortis graduated from the Nicholson School of Communication with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. During her time at UCF, she was the news editor of the Central Florida Future; produced the The Cost of Food, a short documentary exposing the present conditions of farmworkers in the U.S. and then landed a Scripps Howard Semester in Washington fellowship in the nation’s capital. Fortis also worked as an editorial intern at the Hispanic Link News Service and uncovered financial scandals in the city government for the Chronicle Newspaper in Washington.

She is currently working as a research assistant for veteran investigative journalist Wayne Barrett. For her I.F. Stone project she will report on the use of additives by the US food industry. Fortis will receive funding to cover the reporting costs of her project, up to a maximum of $10,000; editorial guidance from Investigative Fund editors; access to such subscription services as Nexis and Accurint; and assistance with placement of the investigation in a print, online, or broadcast outlet.