WASHINGTON – Brian Bienkowski, the managing editor of the nonprofit investigative news outlet The New Lede, has won first place in the news category of the North American Agricultural Journalists, or NAAJ, 2026 awards.
Bienkowski’s award-winning report, “FOIA records reveal EPA leaders’ frequent meetings with industry lobbyists,” is an investigative piece that leveraged documents obtained through public information requests to reveal that top Environmental Protection Agency officials met repeatedly with agricultural and chemical industry representatives in the months following President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, in 2025.
The New Lede is an initiative of the Environmental Working Group but functions independently of the organization. All editorial decisions are made solely by The New Lede, without input or influence from EWG.
Ken Cook, EWG’s president and co-founder, praised Bienkowski and the NAAJ.
“Brian’s reporting cuts to the core of The New Lede’s mission – exposing decisions by policymakers and the agribusiness industry that endanger public health and the environment,” said Cook.
“We’re proud to see his work, and the The New Lede team’s broader reporting, recognized by peers at the NAAJ, who uniquely understand its impact.
“In an era when local news is vanishing from farm country at an alarming rate, hard-hitting independent journalism like the New Lede’s is essential. Without it, industrial agriculture goes unchecked, and rural communities are left unaware of the threats to their health and environment,” he added.
Bienkowski’s report offers an unprecedented look at how regulatory decisions affecting farmers were made behind closed doors with agribusiness executives.
The judge, longtime award-winning journalist Bob Burgdorfer, lauded Bienkowski’s work for being “well-written and factual,” noting that it was a “great use of the Freedom of Information Act to see who EPA consults before making decisions that affect farmers.”
Second place honor
The New Lede also earned second place in the video category for its compelling investigation into links between Iowa’s outsize cancer rates and agricultural pollution. The recognition shows The New Lede’s commitment to multimedia investigative reporting at the nexus of environmental and agricultural issues.
NAAJ, which represents journalists across the United States and Canada, holds annual awards recognizing excellence in reporting on agricultural issues. The organization applauds journalists who illuminate the intersection of policy, industry and public health and the environment.
The New Lede played an integral role in the international Poison PR investigation, collaborating with outlets such as Lighthouse Reports and the Guardian to reveal how the pesticide industry and PR firms sought to influence public opinion and discredit critics.
The New Lede’s Editor-in-Chief Carey Gillam, along with others involved in the project, received the One World Media Award for outstanding environmental reporting, in 2025. The project was later shortlisted, in August 2025, as one of the top 10 investigations for the Investigative Journalism for Europe awards.
Gillam is also the recipient of the 2018 Rachel Carson Book Award of the Society of Environmental Journalists for her 2017 book, “Whitewash: The Story of a Weedkiller, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science.”
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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
The New Lede (TNL) is a nonprofit investigative news organization focused on the intersection of agriculture, environmental policy and public health. Through rigorous reporting and multimedia storytelling, TNL shines a light on issues that impact communities, ecosystems and the food system.
