FCIR Contributing Editor Tristram Korten told his story through Miami bail bonds agent Nidia Diaz. (Photo by Colby Katz/FCIR.)

Florida Center for Investigative Reporting Contributing Editor Tristram Korten’s radio report “Fugitives on the Run, Bondsmen on the Hunt” won Best in Show in the radio category of the prestigious National Headliner Awards. The report also won first place for feature and human interest story.

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A collaboration between FCIR and WLRN-Miami Herald News, Korten’s story reported how Florida’s state attorney’s offices are not extraditing absconders due to budget cuts, creating an implicit public policy that means those who skip bond in Florida will not be followed. Print stories in English and Spanish — which were published in the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, respectively — accompanied the radio report.

Korten, who joined FCIR in 2011 as a contributing editor, is a Miami-based journalist who writes about armed conflict, environmental issues, and human rights concerns domestically and throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. His work has appeared in Mother JonesDetails Magazine, the Miami Herald and the New York Times, among other publications. He was previously a columnist for the weekly Miami New Times. Korten’s most recent story for FCIR examined Gov. Rick Scott’s claims of creating jobs in Florida.

“In less than two years, the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting has demonstrated its commitment to producing ambitious journalism about Florida and Latin America in collaboration with traditional media in the state,” said FCIR Associate Director Trevor Aaronson. “We’re honored that the National Headliner Awards recognized Tristram Korten’s reporting. And we congratulate our partners at WLRN and Florida’s other public radio stations. We also hope our readers and supporters appreciate how FCIR won this award — and others — with modest resources. We urge you to help us build a sustainable model for investigative reporting in Florida.”

In addition to winning the National Headliner Awards’ Best in Show, “Fugitives on the Run, Bondsmen on the Hunt” is a finalist for the 2012 Florida Associated Press Broadcasters Contest.