Three major investigative reports that used social science research methods as key parts of their probes were named today as winners of the 2007 Philip Meyer Journalism Award.

Among them, The Dallas Morning News took top honors for its “Faking the Grade” investigation. Analyzing standardized test scores from around the state of Texas, reporters Joshua Benton, Class of 2008, and Holly Hacker found patterns in students’ answers that pointed to widespread cheating on high-stakes exams.

The Meyer Awards are in honor of Philip Meyer, the Knight Chair in Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a 1967 Nieman Fellow.