VPM News reporter Ben Paviour was recently selected by The New York Times to become a part of their 2024-25 Local Investigations Fellowship cohort. His one-year fellowship began on Feb. 12, and he will continue to work in Richmond. The fellowship will build off Ben’s award-winning accountability work at VPM News, as well as his stint in criminal justice reform reporting with ADMISSIBLE: Shreds of Evidence.
The Local Investigations Fellowship program gives journalists the opportunity to produce signature investigative work focused on their state or region that is then published by The Times and co-published by local newsrooms. The fellows will have the rare opportunity to work with veteran editors handpicked by The Times before returning to their local newsrooms to apply what they learned.
"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Times' top-notch editorial team for the next year,” said Paviour. “I owe a big thanks to my editors and colleagues at VPM for their support through the relentless and often contentious news cycles. I'm also grateful to all of the sources who've trusted me with their stories over the last five and a half years and whose help will be crucial to the success of this project."
Paviour’s thorough reporting has been a significant part of VPM News’ daily coverage for several years. His work covering courts and criminal justice in the greater Richmond region is often cited in both local and national news outlets. In addition, Paviour’s contributions to VPM News have been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Virginias AP Broadcaster Awards and a regional Murrow Award in 2023.
"I'm ecstatic that Ben's tenacious, in-depth journalism for VPM News has led to this opportunity,” said VPM News Director Elliott Robinson. “His work here has changed policies, laws and lives in not just the region but all of Virginia. All of us in the newsroom are excited about what else he'll uncover, learn and share in this fellowship."
Paviour’s work was featured in the award-winning podcast ADMISSIBLE: Shreds of Evidence, where he assisted with analyzing gubernatorial archives, forensic reports and conducted interviews with U.S. senators. Paviour and the ADMISSIBLE team uncovered additional information that led to the director of Virginia’s Department of Forensic Science to look deeper into the allegations from the podcast.