The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Long Lead have won the National Press Foundation’s inaugural Wounded Warrior Project® Award for Excellence in Coverage of Veterans in the large and small news organization categories, respectively.

John Diedrich, a journalist from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, won the award for his coverage about firearm suicide, particularly among veterans. His work profiled veterans and gun owners while focusing on solutions, both individual and systemic to raise awareness of the issue.

NPF judges praised the work for “giving voice to the veteran and to the community around them and the impact of coming from a war zone or coming from being in the military to going back to a very isolating experience of a community that doesn’t fully understand what you’ve done or what’s been asked of you.”

Long Lead won for its coverage of the homeless crisis among disabled veterans in Los Angeles. The multimedia feature, “Home of the Brave,” tells the story of veterans who were evicted from land in L.A. established after the Civil War to house disabled veterans. It goes through the property’s founding to the legal fight to take it back and generations of wounded veterans seeking support, justice and a place to call home.

Emily Barone, Samuel Braslow, Jasper Craven, Will DiGravio, Gale Holland, Kelly Kennedy, Morgan Lieberman, Christian Martinez, Russell Midori, Rebecca Murga, Andrew Nusca, John Patrick Pullen and Sarah Rogers contributed to the digital documentary.

“They were in a class by themselves. They elevated their storytelling in a way that is so compelling,” NPF judges said.

The winners received their awards at the NPF Annual Journalism Awards Dinner on Feb. 20. in Washington, D.C.

Russell Midori recused himself from judging Long Lead content.

In the large news outlet category, The Washington Post receives an honorable mention for its investigative story by Lisa Rein on charges veterans received for help filing disability claims.

“With the veterans that come home, it realizes the vulnerability of these folks when they come back. There’s not a whole lot of personal help,” NPF judges said.

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) and the National Press Foundation established the Wounded Warrior Project® Award for Excellence in Coverage of Veterans to elevate the discourse around veterans’ affairs in the media. By recognizing outstanding journalism, the awards seek to inspire high-quality reporting that fosters a deeper understanding of veterans’ needs, struggles, and triumphs.