GINA SMITH
Editor, Reporter, Writer

Toxic Deals: (July 11, 2023, The State) Editor of series. S.C. farmers have for decades received free fertilizer from nearby plants and industries containing dangerous forever chemicals. Our series mapped the proximity between these sludge fields and bodies of water that provide South Carolinians their drinking water.

Cashed Out: (Sept. 8, 2022, The Sun News) Editor of series that resulted in changes to state law in 2023 to protect accident victims from factoring companies. Winner of McClatchy’s President’s Award

Cut Off: (March 24, 2022, The State) Editor/reporter on this data-driven project that revealed Black diabetics in one S.C. zip code receive amputations at a higher rate than those in other Southeast zip codes. Bronze Medal recipient from The Society for News Design; Winner of McClatchy’s President Award; Winner of Digital Project category and Investigative Reporting category for SC Press Association.

Horseshoe Crabs and Vaccines: (2021 and 2022, The State) Editor of series. A biomedical company’s controversial bleeding of horseshoe crabs to make pharmaceutical products and its efforts to gain access to off-limit coastal islands.

Secrets of the Death Chamber: (Nov. 4, 2021. The State) Editor of series about state workers who face a toll after carrying out executions. 2021 IRE Finalist. Reporter Chiara Eisner featured on Nieman Storyboard.

Hidden Earmarks: (Occasional series in 2021. The State) Oversaw a team examining earmarks, which often go to lawmakers’ pet projects and friends. Our team built a first-of-it-kind searchable database of earmarks, tracking the millions of dollars and surveyed every member of the General Assembly about making changes. As a result, the S.C. Senate and House now require additional transparency. Winner of SC Press Association’s Montgomery/Shurr FOI Award and others.

Lost in Translation: (April 4, 2022, The Island Packet and The State) Editor of series. Dozens of South Carolina school districts provide unequal educational opportunities to students because of where they’re from.

Propping Up Paradise: (July 19, 2016, The Island Packet) Editor of series. A look at the workforce crisis on Hilton Head Island. Winner of McClatchy President’s Award.

Coffin Corridor: (October 2015, The Island Packet) Editor of series. Data-driven series that showed more motorists die along a portion of I-95 than any other section in South Carolina. Winner of McClatchy President’s Award. As a result, S.C. DOT approved project to cut down deadly trees.