Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Raquel Rutledge in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newsroom.
Wisconsin Watchdog BY KATELIN WATSON | PHOTO BY JONATHAN KIRN
EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT
Investigative journalism takes courage, good instincts and, perhaps most of all, tenacity — a trait that Raquel Rutledge, SHS ’85, says her years in the Shorewood School District helped her develop.
Rutledge spent all of her school-age years in the District, a deliberate decision on the part of her parents (particularly her mother, also a Shorewood graduate). “It was important to them that we were in a good school district and received a solid education,” Rutledge says. She attended Atwater Elementary and Shorewood Intermediate School, then graduated from SHS in an impressive three years. Though she didn’t participate in journalism-related extracurriculars at SHS, Rutledge was a curious and attentive student. “I’ve always been driven by my curiosity,” she says. “If I don’t understand something, I’m very intrigued by it and want to figure it out, which is an important characteristic for a journalist. I think the emphasis the District placed on the importance of curiosity and learning was huge. All of my teachers were inspiring, and that overall approach to education was something I really appreciated.” Rutledge earned her college degree in mass communications, with a print emphasis, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She started her career at a radio station in Hartford, Wis., then worked in both television and print, even moving to Colorado Springs for a time to pursue career opportunities there with her husband, also a reporter. She eventually returned to Milwaukee to work as a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where she has now been for nearly 15 years.
At the Journal Sentinel, Rutledge is on the “Watchdog” team and has investigated an array of issues, from health and science to crime and taxes. She is known for uncovering widespread fraud — more than $40 million a year — in the state’s subsidized child-care program. Her child-care investigation series, “Cashing in on Kids,” resulted in new laws, sweeping policy reforms, a crackdown on at least 200 child-care providers suspected of cheating the program and more than three dozen criminal charges. It also won Rutledge a 2010 Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism. Rutledge has also exposed serious illnesses affecting workers in food-flavoring plants and federal regulators’ failure to protect them; revealed how a chemical known to cause deadly lung disease is endangering coffee workers and those who use e-cigarettes and, more recently, explored deaths, injuries and other dangers faced by tourists visiting Mexican resorts, as well as TripAdvisor’s efforts to minimize these issues by curating content. Including her Pulitzer, Rutledge has dozens of awards under her belt. She was also a Nieman Foundation for Journalism Fellow at Harvard University in 2012. But she says her work is not about the awards and honors — it’s about making an impact. “What fuels me is the ability I have to make a difference in the lives of others,” Rutledge says. “I think shedding light on (issues such as fraud or poor manufacturing practice) and raising awareness about them is very important. People can’t take action and can’t bring about change if they aren’t properly informed, so it’s my job to make that happen. I’m passionate about my work, and helping others is truly what keeps me going.” n SHOREWOOD TODAY 33