Behind the Smiles
Amazon’s internal records expose the true toll of its relentless drive for domination
Part 1
Amazon’s internal injury records expose the true toll of its relentless drive for speed
As Amazon Prime promises one-day shipping, Amazon workers pay the price. Documents show that in California, Oregon, Indiana and elsewhere, Amazon workers are injured at high rates.
- Listen: Amazon: Behind the Smiles
- Watch: Amazon’s ‘culture of safety’ under the spotlight
- Watch: Whistleblower: Amazon let off the hook after worker’s death
- Interactive: Find out what injuries are like at the Amazon warehouse that handled your packages
Part 2
How Amazon hid its safety crisis
Confidential documents reveal the company leaders’ deception about the consequences of Prime Day, its robots and more.
- Listen: Catching Amazon in a lie
- Watch: The truth about injuries at Amazon
- Interactive: What are injury rates like at Amazon warehouses?
Part 3
Inside Amazon’s Failures to Protect Your Data: Internal Voyeurs, Bribery Scandals and Backdoor Schemes
For years, the retail giant has been keeping something from you: It’s handled your information much less carefully than it handles your packages.
- Listen: Amazon leaks
Follow-Up Stories
Private Report Shows How Amazon Drastically Undercounts Its Carbon Footprint
The company has marketed itself as a climate change leader, but a report obtained by Reveal highlights the pitfalls of relying on voluntary commitments.
Impact
Amazon’s Warehouse Quotas Have Been Injuring Workers for Years. Now, Officials Are Taking Action.
January 19, 2022
‘We’re Going to Protect Workers’: New California Law Takes Aim at Amazon’s Unsafe Work Quotas
September 25, 2021
Amazon’s relentless pace is injuring workers and violating law, Washington state regulator says
May 25, 2021
Lawmakers demand Amazon answer for deception on worker injuries
October 15, 2020
Awards
Pulitzer Prize
2020 finalist, explanatory reporting
National Headliner Awards
2020 second-place winner, online investigative reporting
2020 second-place winner, social media
2020 third-place winner, investigative report by broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators
Gerald Loeb Awards
2020 winner, audio
SABEW Best in Business Awards
2019 winner, retail, small division
Scripps Howard Awards
2019 finalist, radio/podcast
Online Journalism Awards
2020 finalist, Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, medium newsroom
Investigative Reporters & Editors
2019 winner, large radio