The Reuters series 'The Body Trade' has been named the winner of the 2018 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics, presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Reuters series exposed how donated bodies are fueling a virtually unregulated industry in which human remains are bought and sold. Reuters reporters Brian Grow, John Shiffman and team systematically documented how these businesses obtain, sell and even rent out human body parts. They found these businesses - commonly known as body brokers - often prey on the poor, who are attracted by the industry's signature offer: Donate your body to us and we will cremate an unused portion and return it to your family, for free. Lucas Graves, assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication and chair of the Shadid Award judging committee said of the Reuters entry: "This series involves a topic that is highly personal to the families of those who donated their bodies and important to everyone. Reporters and editors invested in telling this story as thoroughly as possible and dealt with some unexpected landmines in a thoughtful way." 'The Body Trade' will be honored at the Shadid Award ceremony on April 5th. You can read 'The Body Trade' series here . [Reuters Press Blog] Media Contact: Heather dot Carpener at thomsonreuters dot com
