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    SCNG’s Scott Reid wins prestigious investigative reporting honor
    • April 6, 2023

    The Southern California News Group’s Scott Reid won an Investigative Reporters & Editors Award for Sports Investigations for his reporting on allegations of emotional abuse and bullying by former Olympic and Cal swimming coach Teri McKeever.

    Reid’s coverage of McKeever spanned decades of allegations by more than 40 former and current swimmers against the most successful and famous female coach in swimming history.

    McKeever, who had coached the Golden Bears to four NCAA team titles during her 29 seasons and was the head coach of the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s team, was fired by the university on Jan. 31.

    Among the allegations levied against McKeever were swearing at and threatening swimmers on an almost daily basis, using racial epithets and body-shaming and pressuring athletes to compete or train while injured or dealing with chronic illnesses or eating disorders, even accusing some women of lying about their conditions despite medical records saying otherwise.

    Nine Cal women’s swimmers told Reid they made plans to kill themselves or obsessed about suicide as a result of McKeever’s bullying.

    The IRE judges said of Reid’s work: “The Orange County Register painstakingly illuminated the shocking actions of UC Berkeley swim coach Teri McKeever, an international icon in her field. Her abuses are recorded in revealing on-the-record interviews with frightened, reluctant sources, some of whom spoke about suicidal thoughts and mental health consequences. The paper encountered considerable resistance from the university and other official sources. Ultimately, however, the coach lost her job.”

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    The IRE winners were selected from more than 400 entries. The awards, given since 1979, recognize the most outstanding watchdog journalism of the year.

    Reid’s in-depth reporting on McKeever was also recently recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as among the top 10 in investigations, the 14th time he’s earned the distinction. He was also named among the top 10 beat writers in the country for his coverage of Olympic sports.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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