Miami Herald, WLRN named finalists for prestigious award for Brightline series

The Miami Herald and WLRN News were named finalists for the prestigious 2026 Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, the G. and R. Loeb Foundation and the UCLA Anderson School of Management announced Thursday.

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The two South Florida news outlets were recognized for their joint investigative package, “Killer Train,” which exposed systemic safety failures and a staggering death toll along Florida’s Brightline higher-speed rail corridor. It included a multimedia web version and a podcast with several episodes.

The investigative series was reported by the Herald’s Brittany Wallman, Aaron Leibowitz, Susan Merriam, Shradha Dinesh, and Allison Beck, and WLRN’s Daniel Rivero and Joshua Ceballos.

The “Killer Train” project shattered the widely accepted public narrative surrounding the privately operated passenger rail system.

Through an original, exhaustive analysis of federal railroad data, autopsy reports, and police files, the Miami Herald and WLRN team revealed that Brightline was the deadliest major passenger train in the United States, averaging one death every 13 days of service.

Despite promoting itself as a purely privately funded venture, the journalists also discovered that nearly $500 million in public taxpayer dollars had been funneled toward the rail line even as critical safety installations faced multi-year delays.

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The series was among four finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting — the only public radio station to be named to the most coveted prize in journalism. And it has won a national award from Investigative Reporters & Editors, the nation’s most prominent investigative journalism organization. It also won a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news.

“We are proud for all the recognition the Brightline project has received in the past year,” said WLRN Vice President for News Sergio Bustos. “The collaboration with the Herald is a testament to the power of two talented newsrooms working together on a major investigative story.”

Widely recognized as the highest honor in American business journalism, the Loeb Awards celebrate work across 13 competitive categories to advance public understanding of the economy, finance, and corporate accountability.

Created to “encourage and recognize reporting on business, finance and the economy that informs and protects investors and the public,” the Loeb Awards highlight deep investigative work and critical consumer reporting.

The winners in each category will be revealed live at the Loeb Awards Banquet and Celebration on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Capitale in New York City. It will be hosted by former CNBC anchor Tyler Mathisen.

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This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner WLRN Public Media.