Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Jennifer Berry Hawes reports for ProPublica’s South hub with a focus on how historical inequities shape contemporary policy in education, judicial systems, and gender representation. Her work combines forensic data analysis with oral histories to challenge structural power imbalances.
“Her investigations don’t just report problems—they become catalysts for legislative audits.” - Pulitzer Prize Committee
Jennifer Berry Hawes has built a distinguished career uncovering systemic inequities across the American South. Beginning at The Post and Courier in 1998, she honed her investigative skills on domestic violence and racial justice before joining ProPublica’s South hub in 2023. Her work consistently bridges historical context with contemporary policy debates, particularly around gender, race, and institutional power.
This 2023 investigation exposed how South Carolina’s majority-male legislature replaced retiring female justices with male appointees ahead of critical abortion rulings. Hawes traced the political maneuvering behind judicial elections, revealing how gender dynamics influenced decisions affecting millions. The piece combined legislative voting records, historical comparisons of court compositions, and interviews with lawmakers to demonstrate systemic barriers to women’s representation in Southern judiciaries.
“The GOP rallied behind the man. The women quickly bowed out.”
Hawes’ 2024 deep dive into Alabama’s persistently segregated school systems used demographic data, archival research, and community interviews to show how “segregation academies” established post-Brown v. Board still shape education access. She documented how these private institutions receive public funding while maintaining predominantly white student bodies, creating parallel education systems that perpetuate racial divides.
Analyzing 2024 election data across nine states, this investigation revealed that Southeastern legislatures remain over 80% male despite national gains for women in politics. Hawes highlighted the correlation between low female representation and restrictive policies on abortion and healthcare, using sponsor lists for recent bills as evidence of gender-based policy priorities.
Hawes frequently connects current legislation to historical patterns of discrimination. Successful pitches should demonstrate how modern issues like school funding or judicial appointments extend from Reconstruction-era policies. For example, her segregation academy reporting used 1960s school enrollment records to explain contemporary funding disparities.
Stories about women, people of color, or low-income communities navigating predominantly white/male power structures align with her beat. The Supreme Court analysis succeeded by contrasting the court’s gender makeup with the population it serves—53% female.
Hawes’ work grounds systemic issues in specific communities, like her year-long focus on Camden, Alabama. Pitches should offer access to localized datasets (school demographics, voting records) paired with human narratives that illustrate broader regional trends.
Her reporting often reveals how well-intentioned programs, like tax credits for private schools, inadvertently reinforce segregation. Developers should identify similar paradoxes in education funding, judicial elections, or gender equity initiatives.
From the 2015 Charleston church shooting to 1970s desegregation battles, Hawes documents how communities grapple with historical trauma. Pitches should propose follow-ups on policy changes or social movements stemming from major events at 5/10/15-year intervals.
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