The National Press Foundation recognizes Daniel Murphy of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism as the winner of the 2025 Hinrich Foundation Award for Distinguished Reporting on Trade for its series on China’s hidden forced labor and its impact on the global supply chain. 

In “China’s Economy Runs on Uyghur Forced Labour,” Murphy traces this forced labor back to the supply chains of over 100 global brands, including McDonald’s, Skechers, Tesla, and KFC. In “Did Coerced Labour Build Your Car,” he explores the automotive industry’s reliance on forced labor despite tariffs. And in “The World Sanctioned Xinjiang Cotton. China Turned It Into Chicken Feed,” Murphy details how China circumvented international bans on its cotton production due to human rights violations, while still using forced minority labor.   

“Murphy exposes an unwelcome engine fueling China as the factory of the world: coercive government programs employing Uyghurs and other minorities,” NPF judges said, praising Murphy’s diligent reporting methods, which required him to verify social media videos and records of factory visits in Xinjiang. 

Photo art: Marta Kochanek, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Murphy accepted the award at NPF’s 44th Annual Awards Dinner on March 12.

Founded in 2010, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism is a UK-based organization dedicated to producing in-depth and data-driven reporting on issues of corruption, human rights abuses and topics of public interest that are sometimes overlooked by mainstream media.

About the Award

The Hinrich Foundation Award for Distinguished Reporting on Trade was created in 2019 to recognize exemplary journalism that illuminates and advances the public’s understanding of international business and trade. Previous winners include Bloomberg News, Nikkei Asia, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.