ATLANTA — WSB-TV’s Investigative Reporting team has earned one of journalism’s highest honors, a 2026 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award.
In collaboration with other Cox Media Group stations and KFF Health News, WSB-TV presented “Social Security’s Secret.”
The hour-long special exposed the impacts of Social Security Administration payback demands and shared the stories of dozens of people affected by SSA clawbacks.
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These demands left thousands of Georgians in financial hardship and led to policy changes in Washington, D.C.
“CMG’s mission is to improve lives and inspire communities through our passionate people, powerful brands, and unmatched content,” said Marian Pittman, President, WSB-TV. “Our Investigative Reporting team is at the heart of that and has broken numerous stories that made a difference for millions of people.”
After this reporting, the Social Security Administration announced policy changes to stop the “clawback cruelty” of withholding 100% of benefits to recoup overpayments, and instead started withholding just 10%. They have since switched to withholding 50%.
“It’s our privilege and responsibility to shed light on problems like these, which affect so many people in our local communities,” said Jodie Fleischer, CMG’s managing editor for investigative content and collaborations. “When our reporting encourages those in power to take action to improve the lives of millions of people, it just reaffirms our mission to protect consumers and positively impact the people and communities we serve.”
This marks the fifth national award for “Social Security’s Secret.”
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