Best Investigative Journalism Award

2023 Winner

, Medium Division

Wisconsin Watch

Chinese prisoners: We were forced to make Milwaukee Tool gloves for cents each day

Wisconsin Watch unearthed a mountain of evidence that Milwaukee Tool, an iconic American brand, was using prison labor in China to manufacture its work gloves. This rare look inside the opaque supply chain of an American manufacturer depended on a tip from a recent immigrant and months of verification.

The company says it hasn’t found evidence of forced labor within its supply chain, but the U.S. Department of State has started asking questions.




Finalists:

  • inewsource – Veterans Village San Diego 
  • Injustice Watch – Cook County’s use of SCRAM devices 
  • Adirondack Explorer – The cost of conservation