Bulletin’s Skipworth wins A-Mark, Publick Occurrences awards for NH disability system investigation 

Bulletin staff reporter William Skipworth took home a pair of awards at the New England Newspaper and Press Association awards on Oct. 9.

Skipworth won a first-place A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism for his series on abuse and neglect in the state’s disability care system, as well as Publick Occurrences award for the same series. The A-Mark Foundation awards honor investigative reporting excellence in each state (as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico), while Publick Occurrences awards celebrate “the best work that New England newspapers produce each year.”

“A System of Harm,” Skipworth’s monthslong, three-part investigation of the state’s disability system, was published by the Bulletin in November 2025. Among his other honors for the series are a Livingston Award for local reporting, a third place in investigative reporting from the National Association of Health Care Journalists, and several awards from the New Hampshire Press Association, including Journalist of the Year.

The Bulletin’s investigation had real-world impact in New Hampshire. In July, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed Senate Bill 670 into law, which strengthened protections for people with disabilities in state care; the state senator behind the law called the Bulletin’s reporting “the genesis” of the legislation. A federally funded watchdog agency, the Disability Rights Center-New Hampshire launched its own investigation into the system, calling the Bulletin’s reporting “probable cause.” The state also convened a System Review Committee, which held a series of meetings to question officials and educate the public before releasing its recommendations for system reform.

Rhode Island Current, which like the New Hampshire Bulletin is part of the States Newsroom nonprofit news organization, also won a pair of awards. The Current was named as a Distinguished Online News Publication and reporter Nancy Lavin won a third-place A-Mark award for her examination of failures in care for homebound seniors.  

The annual NENPA fall awards were held at The Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge, Mass.