Marisa Kwiatkowski
Born
Marisa Kwiatkowski
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materGrand Valley State University
Indiana University
Occupation(s)Editor
Investigative Reporter
Years active2005 - present
EmployerUSA Today
Known forUSA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal
Athlete A
AwardsLouis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism

Marisa Kwiatkowski is an American journalist and investigative reporter at USA Today,[1] known for her reporting of the USA Gymnastics' sexual abuse scandal.[2][3]

Life and career

Kwiatkowski holds an undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University (B.A., 2005) and began her career in Michigan at the Grand Haven Tribune.[4]

From 2013 to 2019, Kwiatkowski worked as a reporter at The Indianapolis Star.[2] She reported on a variety of investigative stories focused on victims of assault and harassment.[5] During this time, Kwiatkowski completed a night-time masters of business administration degree program at Indiana University.[6]

In 2019, she joined USA Today as an investigative reporter based in Indianapolis.[2][5]

In 2020, Kwiatkowski and colleague Tricia Nadolny[7] broke the story that USA Cheer, the governing body of American cheer-leading, knowingly allowed convicted sex offenders to own and operate cheer-leading gyms and otherwise continue to be involved in the sport.[8]

USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal

While at the Star, Kwiatkowski worked on the "Out of Balance" series,[4] which turned into an investigation about how the USA Gymnastics organization failed to report many allegations of sexual abuse by coaches.[9] The reporting began in 2016, initially looking at Indiana-based assaults that were not reported to authorities.[10] The reporting grew in scope and showed how predators exploited a lax culture to prey on children. As a result of the series, more than 500 women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Larry Nassar,[11] a team physician who worked in four Olympic games.[9]

The Star's reporting exposed Nassar as a serial abuser.[10] He was sentenced to 175 years in prison in January 2018 after pleading guilty to sexually abusing seven girls and the CEO of board of directors of USA Gymnastics resigned. The Star's investigative series also led to the drafting and passage of the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, which was signed into law by President Trump.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Marisa Kwiatkowski – The Washington Journalism and Media Conference". wjmc.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  2. 1 2 3 "Indianapolis Star reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski wins Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism at Harvard". Nieman Foundation. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  3. ↑ Amanda Duberman (2019-01-21). "Meet The Journalist Who Helped Expose Larry Nassar". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  4. 1 2 Manes, Nick. "Q&A: Marisa Kwiatkowski, Investigative Reporter at The Indianapolis Star". mibiz.com. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  5. 1 2 Hill, Crystal. "IndyStar wins top SPJ honors for 'Ashley Peterson' series, investigative work". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  6. ↑ "Why this investigative journalist is pursuing her MBA: Blog Posts: Blog: Kelley Indianapolis Hub: IUPUI". Kelley Indianapolis Hub. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  7. ↑ "Angela Answers: the reporters who broke the story on Netflix "Cheer" star Jerry Harris". Fox 59. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  8. ↑ "180 People With Cheerleading Ties Have Faced Sex Misconduct Charges Involving Minors, Report Finds". Inside Edition. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  9. 1 2 Bahr, Sarah (2018-04-13). "AMA: Marisa Kwiatkowski, Journalist". Indianapolis Monthly. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  10. 1 2 Tim Evans, Indianapolis Star. "'Athlete A' tells part of the Larry Nassar investigation. This is the story you didn't see". Holland Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  11. ↑ Tidwell, Sara (2020-07-28). "The fallout of events in 'Athlete A' continues to impact MSU". The State News. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  12. ↑ "Everything You Need to Know About the Safe Sport Act". Praesidium. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
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