Youth Radio, the nation's premier youth media organization, is the winner of a 2011 George Foster Peabody Award for its in-depth reporting for Trafficked: A Youth Radio Investigation.  The two-part series, produced in collaboration with National Public Radio's All Things Considered, exposed the sex trafficking of children in Oakland largely from first-hand accounts of young victims.  The series originally aired on NPR in December 2010 and was featured on the front page of The Huffington Post.

Highlights of the investigation include:

·    First person accounts from exploited young women

·    An exclusive interview with a working online escort

·    A primary source 'Pimp Business Plan'

Community advocates continue to work on this important issue; Oakland has been identified as one of the nation's hubs for child sex trafficking.

The Peabody Awards, the nation's oldest honor in broadcasting, are considered among the most prestigious and selective prizes in electronic media. Peabodys recognize excellence and meritorious work by radio and television stations, networks, webcasters, producing organizations and individuals.

"Youth Radio set the goal of adding to the public record by using our deep experience working with youth," said Youth Radio President and Chief Content Officer Ellin O'Leary. "We not only added the perspectives of trafficked teenagers, but had those perspectives drive our reporting."

Horace Newcomb, director of the Peabody Awards, said this year's awards continue the commitment of the University of Georgia and the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication to "challenge media makers and distributors to reach higher, try harder and be ever mindful of their central role in public life."

Fellow winners include WNYC, C-SPAN, BBC, HBO, and PBS.  

This is Youth Radio's second Peabody Award.  In 2001, the organization was honored for its award-winning media training program, and activities enabling thousands of teenagers to express their views, to experience civic engagement and to develop critical thinking skills, teamwork and self-esteem.

Youth Radio collaborated with a number of partners in covering and distributing this important investigation, including MISSSEY, a community-based organization for sexually exploited youth, the Alameda County SEM Network, NPR, and The Huffington Post. 

Support from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting made the outstanding work of Youth Radio's investigative unit possible. Downloadable audio and video are available for this story at http://www.youthradio.org/trafficked.