HARD EARNED, a riveting six-part documentary series, has been awarded a 2016 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award–one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism. Maria Finitzo, one of the directors of the series, will be attending the award ceremony with the rest of the team in New York City on January 17.
The duPont Award is journalism’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize and only sixteen documentaries/news reports have been honored this year with the prestigious award. The duPont awards committee praised HARD EARNED by stating: “The immersive verite filmmaking of this six-part series invested viewers in the lives of the struggling working class by creating compelling human portraits.”
Produced by Kartemquin Films for the network Al Jazeera America Presents, HARD EARNED follows five families as they juggle with the rising costs of housing, education, food, medical bills and more- all while only earning at or near minimum wage. As economic inequality widens and the wealth gap continues to increase in the US, these lower-income families struggle to get ahead. In the strong tradition of duPont award-winning work, this character-driven series gives voice to the voiceless.
Originally broadcast in May 2015, HARD EARNED was also nominated for the Best Limited Series Award at the 2015 International Documentary Association Awards. Check out more information about HARD EARNED, and more information about the duPont-Columbia Award.