2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Local Journalism
Michael Patrick Leahy won the 2025 Best Local Journalism Dao Prize with Tom Pappert and Christina Botteri for The Tennessee Star for their series on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s infamous traffic stop that led to human smuggling charges. They received $10,000 for their reporting.
Michael Patrick Leahy is the CEO, Editor-in-chief, and majority owner of Star News Digital Media, which owns and operates a family of 12 state-focused conservative news sites, including The Tennessee Star, The Arizona Sun Times, and The Star News Network. He is also the host of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, broadcast on 20 ‘America First’ radio stations weekdays on the John Fredericks Network from 9 am to 12 pm.
Here are their reports:
Biden’s FBI Ordered TN Highway Patrol to Release ‘Maryland Man’ Recently Deported to El Salvador After He Was Detained in 2022 Traffic Stop on Suspicion of Human Trafficking, Tom Pappert, April 16, 2025
Tennessee Highway Patrol Confirms ‘Biden-Era FBI’ Told Officers to Release Kilmar Abrego Garcia During 2022 Traffic Stop Despite Speeding and License Violations, Tom Pappert, April 17, 2025
Immigration Judge’s 2019 Order Found Kilmar Abrego Garcia ‘Subject to Removal’ by Deportation But Granted ‘Withholding of Removal’ to Guatemala, Though Referencing El Salvador, Tom Pappert, April 22, 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia Drove Vehicle Registered to Convicted Human Trafficker During 2022 Traffic Stop in Tennessee, Court Records Confirm, Tom Pappert, April 23, 2025
Tennessee Highway Patrol Officer Says Kilmar Abrego Garcia ‘Hauling These People for Money’ in Body Camera Footage, Tom Pappert, May 1, 2025
Invalid ID Presented by Kilmar Abrego Garcia Expired Two Months Prior to Tennessee Traffic Stop, Tom Pappert, May 2, 2025
DOJ Reportedly Gave ‘Limited Immunity’ to Human Smuggler Who Owned Van Driven by Kilmar Abrego Garcia for Details on 2022 Trip, Tom Pappert, May 6, 2025
DOJ Returns Kilmar Abrego Garcia to United States to Face Charges for Alleged Nine-Year Career in Illegal Alien Smuggling, Tom Pappert, June 6, 2025
NY Law Firm Representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia Received $7 Million from Reid Hoffman Nonprofit to Fund E. Jean Carroll Lawsuit Against President Trump, Tom Pappert, June 19, 2025