Poynter Journalism Prizes Winners

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2025 Poynter Journalism Prizes

The Batten Medal

Recognizes exceptional journalism that makes a difference to the lives of people and their communities. The award is sponsored by editors from the former Knight Ridder.

Winner: Kavitha Surana, Cassandra Jaramillo and Lizzie Presser of ProPublica, Life of the Mother

Judges’ citation: ProPublica’s investigative series exposes the devastating consequences of restrictive abortion laws, revealing for the first time the stories of women whose deaths could have been prevented. Because of this reporting, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller’s names echoed nationally as voters were considering abortion laws in several states, sparking crucial conversations on reproductive rights. “Life of the Mother” involved rigorous reporting, meticulous research, compelling storytelling and a deep commitment to public service. The impact of this work was broad and powerful: It proved, for the first time, how these laws have contributed to the deaths of multiple women in multiple states, in a variety of circumstances. Legislatures in at least seven states are this year considering expanded abortion access, with some of those proposed bills filed in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting.

Finalists

Qadri Inzamam and Megha Rajagopalan of The Fuller Project/The New York Times, The Brutality of Sugar
Staff, The Washington Post, Abused by the Badge

The Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting

Recognizes outstanding work done by a news organization that holds local authorities accountable for actions (or inaction). Sponsored by The Seattle Times.

Winner: Alissa Zhu, Jessica Gallagher, Nick Thieme of The Baltimore Banner, working with the New York Times Local Reporting Fellowship, Baltimore’s Overdose Crisis.

Judges’ citation: The Baltimore Banner embarked on a remarkable story that documented how nearly 6,000 lives had been lost to drug overdoses of fentanyl over a period of six years. The effort involved two years of reporting and expensive legal fights. Reporters found the rate of death nearly double that of any other large city. The deep-dive and strong narrative storytelling was exemplary and offered readers an example of very powerful journalism. Judges also applauded the sharing of the “one-of-a-kind dataset” with nine other media outlets.

Full winning entry:
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/public-health/baltimore-opioid-overdose-capital-ZWBYWMCJ45CGNPCGAMFOE6YDGI/
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/public-health/baltimore-opioid-drug-treatment-investigation-AOTRDIBQAJGHFFCLJ3NW2J5JN4/
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/public-health/baltimore-overdose-deaths-black-men-6C4CEZLIZVAYPAEU3PUSBDXMDE/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/upshot/black-men-overdose-deaths.html
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/opioid-deaths-city-hall-silence-N5DCUPZELRCUBHD3WEV4JVT2HU/
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/data/baltimore-overdose-epidemic-map-7FSHJD7RW5DRXG7BAKARODKMC4/
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/public-health/baltimore-opioid-treatment-EU2FVOPI2RCMPPSF4MCQ6AYUVA/

Finalists

Staff, KHOU-TV, Struck: Inside the Harris County Jail
A.J. Lagoe, Steve Eckert, Gary Knox, KARE Investigates. KARE 11, Recovery, Inc.

The Deborah Howell Award for Writing Excellence

Recognizes distinguished achievement in writing in any medium. Sponsored by Advance Publications.

Winner: Sarah A. Topol, freelance writer, The Deserter, published in the New York Times Magazine.

Judges’ citation: Stories about the experience of Russian soldiers are so rare, and this immersive, novelistic tale sweeps us along in a love story and a survival story that also teaches us about Russian culture and its military. It is extensively reported and bravely and confidently told. It dares to offer an unconventional reading experience that rewards readers richly for the investment of their time.

Finalists

Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, After the Miracle
Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, Maylia and Jack: A Story of Teens and Fentanyl

The Dori J. Maynard Justice Award

Recognizes reporting that shines a light on ignorance, stereotypes, intolerance, racism, hate, negligence, inequality and systemic obstacles. Sponsored by The O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism, Marquette University.

Winner: Dana Hedgpeth, Sari Horwitz and Staff, The Washington Post, Indian Boarding Schools.

Judges’ citation: The Selection Board had high praise for this work, citing it among the contest’s best. This 18-month investigation gives the fullest public accounting of the impact of the U.S. government’s boarding school program, including extensive reporting on rampant abuse by Catholic priests, sisters and others in charge of Indian children. The judges called it a series that stays with you forever – haunting, beautifully done, searing, probing, important, with stunning findings and writing.

Full winning entry:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/sexual-abuse-native-american-boarding-schools/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/american-indian-boarding-schools-history-legacy/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/native-american-deaths-burial-sites-boarding-schools/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/10/25/biden-apology-indian-boarding-schools/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/06/14/catholic-church-indian-boarding-schools/

Finalists

Staff, The Washington Post, Abused by the Badge;
Staff, USA TODAY, Untested: America’s rape kit backlog was a national scandal. A decade later, problems persist.

The First Amendment Award

Given to the best example of protecting or advancing freedom of information principles, and/or overcoming significant resistance to the application of the First Amendment.

Winner: In the Dark Podcast, Season 3, Staff, The New Yorker, The Killings in Haditha

Judges’ citation: An extraordinary effort with exceptional storytelling. The reporting team worked for years — filing more than 700 FOIA requests and six lawsuits — to tell this story, which also included locating and interviewing 39 U.S. Marines who were involved in the event being described, many of whom had never been interviewed.

Full winning entry:
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/season-3-episode-1-the-green-grass
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/season-3-episode-2-i-have-questions
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/season-3-episode-3-sounds-like-murder
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/the-war-crimes-that-the-military-buried
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/the-haditha-massacre-photos-that-the-military-didnt-want-the-world-to-see

Finalists

Katey Rusch, Casey Smith, San Francisco Chronicle, Right to Remain Secret
Zach Despart, Yuriko Schumacher and Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune, Texas’ Fragmented, Remote Border Wall

The Burl Osborne Editorial and Opinion Award

Recognizes excellence in editorial writing that has made an impact on behalf of a community, resulting in change for the better. Sponsored by The Dallas Morning News.

Winner: The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Trump Threat

Judges’ citation: While many major newspapers hesitated to take a stand in the 2024 presidential election, the Inquirer upheld its watchdog role with unwavering focus. Across more than 40 editorials, the board combined rigorous reporting with moral clarity to examine Donald Trump’s record, character and ambitions. Though it didn’t change the election’s outcome, this work demonstrated that principled journalism can cut through corporate caution and speak truth to power.

Full winning entry:
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/inq2/trump-threat-clear-present-danger-democracy-2024-elections-20240114.html
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/inq2/trump-threat-russia-putin-ukraine-national-security-20240218.html
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/inq2/people-who-know-trump-best-have-spoken-he-is-unfit-lead-editorial-20240331.html
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/first-presidential-debate-joe-biden-donald-trump-withdraw-20240629.html
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/a/endorsement-president-kamala-harris-democracy-20241025.html

Finalists

The Boston Globe, Boston’s New School Crisis: Falling Enrollment
The Virgin Islands Daily News, Can the Water and Power Authority Be Saved?

The Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing

Recognizes excellence in writing by an individual expressing a personal point of view. Sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.

Winner: Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, Columns by Steve Lopez

Judges’ citation: Steve Lopez’s work illustrates how a metro columnist can make a difference and force elected officials to pay attention to an issue in plain sight but long ignored. His work includes spectacular reporting and writing with a mix of perspective, empathy and outrage. It’s powerful work in the name of a good old-fashioned cause — a neighborhood and its people.

Full winning entry:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-24/column-langers-deli-owner-is-starving-for-city-to-clean-up-macarthur-park-and-thinking-of-closing
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-10-12/column-at-lafd-station-11-one-of-the-busiest-in-the-nation-few-fires-and-no-end-to-overdose-emergencies
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-10-26/column-surrounded-by-violence-drug-sales-and-overdoses-yoshinoya-staff-hangs-on-in-macarthur-park
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-19/i-cant-deal-with-life-sober-response-to-the-macarthur-park-drug-epidemic-just-isnt-enough
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-21/macarthur-park-needs-a-champion-and-defender-right-now

Finalists

Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, The ‘Latino Vote’ is a Myth
Will Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer, A Selection of Columns by Will Bunch

The Punch Sulzberger Prize for Journalism Innovation

Given for work that exemplifies new ways of executing the craft of journalism that will engage audiences and expand the work’s impact and reach. Sponsored by The New York Times.

Winner: Julie Watts, Ryan Sabalow, Foaad Khosmood, CalMatters and CBS News California Investigates, California’s Fentanyl Fight.

Judges’ Citation: Judges cited the team’s work with the groundbreaking Digital Democracy database built by CalMatters, which used artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to further empower watchdog journalism and fill the reporting void left in statehouses across the country. The database collected information on millions of votes and hundreds of hours of hearings, allowing reporters to reveal hidden practices of California’s Democratic supermajority legislature. “You read these pieces and you feel smarter and better-equipped to execute your rights in a democracy,” one judge said.

Full winning entry:
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/californias-fentanyl-fight-politicians-versus-parents/
https://calmatters.org/digital-democracy/2024/04/california-democrats-no-votes/
https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/05/california-lawmakers-voting/
https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/10/fong-california-legislative-voting-assembly/
https://calmatters.org/politics/2024/12/failed-bills-california/
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/tag/digital-democracy/
https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/

Finalists

Patricia Clarembaux, Federica Narancio and Esther Poveda, Univision Noticias Digital, Exposed: Latino Farmworkers Risk their Health Working Under Threat of Pesticide Exposure
Prison Journalism Project and The Marshall Project, MadLib Journalism to Shed Light on How Excessive Summer Heat Was Experienced in U.S. Prisons

The Robert G. McGruder Diversity Award

For the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in hiring and coverage. Sponsored by McClatchy Media.

Winner: Capital B

Judges’ citation: The journalists who started this newsroom in 2022 understood that the racial justice movement inspired by George Floyd’s murder would inevitably face setbacks and retrenchment. They knew the traditional role of the Black press, telling stories that would otherwise go unreported. And they rose up to meet this moment. They are delivering stories around subjects like maternal health and Black farmers, and they are righting wrongs, exposing an Atlanta housing development’s horrible disrepair. They have done an impressive amount of work in a short period of time, and they’ve managed to represent the diversity of the Black experience.

The Roy Peter Clark Prize for Excellence in Short Writing

Recognizes compelling journalistic writing of less than 800 words in any medium. Sponsored by the Poynter Institute.

Winner: S.P. Sullivan, NJ Advance Media, Is the American Dream Mall ‘Open?’ An Investigation.

Judges’ citation: An investigative reporter goes shopping for jeans at a giant, controversial mall. Years of questionable legal and tax behavior is presented in just 350 words and 90 seconds of Tik Tok quality video. Is the mall legally open? Or not? Is this the future of news telling for an audience we want to reach? Great use of text over video.

Finalists

Shawn McCreesh, The New York Times, Campaign Notebooks
Talya Zax, The Forward, Critical Arts Reviews
Washington Post, Capital Letters

Poynter Journalism Prizes Selection Board, 2025

Neil Brown, chair; Sitara Nieves, Tom Jones, Emilio Garcia Ruiz, Kathleen McGrory, Eric Deggans, Alexandra Zayas, Stephen Buckley, Katrice Hardy, Abbie VanSickle, Tracy Brown, Nicole Dungca, Paula Ellis, Jennifer Orsi

Poynter Journalism Prizes Jurors, 2025

Jury chairs: Amalie Nash, Richard Martin, Cristina Silva, Kelley Benham French, Roy Peter Clark, Tim Nickens, Bridget Grumet, Monique Curet, Teresa Frontado, Maria Carrillo. Jurors: Steve Myers, Lane DeGregory, Jennifer Cobb, Rachel Stassen-Berger, Kerwin Speight, Mark Puente, Tia Mitchell, Stephanie Bertini, Sergio Bustos, Mary Shedden, Michael Connelly, Valerie Evans, Hollis Towns, Fernanda Camarena, Lisa Gartner, Kameel Stanley, Amy Hollyfield, Pam Fine, Keith Woods, Tessa Duvall, Kristen Hare, Jeff Taylor, Roger Brown, Rob Hooker, Enock Nyaricki, Benjy Hamm, Kevin Goldberg, Niala Boodhoo, Langston Taylor.

2024 Poynter Journalism Prizes

The Batten Medal

Recognizes exceptional journalism that makes a difference to the lives of people and their communities. Sponsored by editors from the former Knight Ridder.

Winner: Casey Ross and Bob Herman, STAT, Denied by AI, Consequences for Sick and Vulnerable Americans

Judges’ comments: Like so many ground-breaking stories, it started with a tip. STAT aggressively pursued it, and the result was a stunning series of stories that revealed the rigid use of an algorithm to deny care to seriously ill patients in pursuit of higher profits. Each report built upon the previous ones and advanced the untold story of the egregious treatment of patients who had no voice and nowhere to turn for help. The level of difficulty was extremely high; there were no easily accessible public records, and STAT had to build its own sources and documents while skillfully navigating the maze of health care and government bureaucracy. The result is an impactful, gripping series that is clearly written and beautifully executed. STAT made a difference in the lives of patients across the nation by having the courage to pursue such a difficult story and the compassion to help those who were so callously treated by the nation’s largest health insurer. This extraordinary work embodies the spirit of the Batten Medal.

Full winning entry:

Denied by AI: How Medicare Advantage plans use algorithms to cut off care for seniors in need
How UnitedHealth’s acquisition of a popular Medicare Advantage algorithm sparked internal dissent over denied care
UnitedHealth pushed employees to follow an algorithm to cut off Medicare patients’ rehab care
UnitedHealth used secret rules to restrict rehab care for seriously ill Medicare Advantage patients

Finalists: The staff of the Boston Globe, Nightmare in Mission Hill; The Staff of TMJ4 News, Project: Drive Safer

The Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting

Recognizes outstanding work done by a news organization that holds local authorities accountable for actions (or inaction). Sponsored by The Seattle Times.

Winner: Jeremy Rogalski, John Gibson, Jennifer Cobb, KHOU-11 TV, Coffee City Police

Judges’ comments: KHOU-11 investigated the Coffee City Texas Police Department and its police Chief JohnJay Portillo and found that in a city of almost 250 people, there were 50 police officers. More than half of the department’s 50 officers had been suspended, demoted, terminated or dishonorably discharged from their previous law enforcement jobs, according to personnel files obtained through open records requests to other law enforcement agencies. The judges said the series provided strong accountability journalism within the confines of the normal news broadcasts and had clear impact.

Finalists: Ted Sherman, NJ Advance Media, Death at Berth 18; The staff of the Villages Daily Sun, The Untold Stories of Ian’s Immense Death Toll

The Deborah Howell Award for Writing Excellence

Recognizes distinguished achievement in writing in any medium. Sponsored by Advance Publications.

Winner: Megan Cassidy, Gabrielle Lurie, San Francisco Chronicle, Probing San Francisco’s drug trade
Note: The judges moved this entry from the local accountability category and named it the winner.

Judges’ comments:
Proving that impactful writing starts with excellent reporting, San Francisco Chronicle journalists Megan Cassidy and Gabrielle Lurie undertook a courageous, 18-month investigation into how desperate migrants from Honduras’s Siria Valley provide the labor that fuels San Francisco’s seemingly intractable drug crisis. The anecdotes chosen to tell the story are straightforward and searing, including descriptions of Honduran mansions emblazoned with logos from San Francisco sports teams, or the vibrant scenes of the humanitarian disaster that drugs have created in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood.

Full winning entry:

This is the hometown of San Francisco’s drug dealers
This is how San Francisco’s open air drug dealers work
One mom’s path from Honduras to drug dealing in the bay area — and prison
He’s known as the ‘O.G.’
Why and how the San Francisco Chronicle told the story of open air drug dealing

Finalists: The Staff of the Dallas Morning News, Allen shooting; Wright Thompson, ESPN

The Dori J. Maynard Justice Award

Honors social justice reporting. Sponsored by the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University.

Winner: Nicole Dungca; Claire Healy; Andrew Ba Tran, The Washington Post, The Collection

Judges’ comments: The judges called it exquisite, tenacious reporting and impact, adding this multimedia series was impossible to put down. It’s important, institute-changing storytelling that’s historical and current.

Finalists: The Staff of The Boston Globe, Nightmare in Mission Hill; The Staff of Retro Report, Generations Stolen

The First Amendment Award

Given to the best example of protecting or advancing freedom of information principles, and/or overcoming significant resistance to the application of the First Amendment. Sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University’s Free Speech Center.

Winner: The staff of the Malheur Enterprise, Public Works and Public Records

Judges’ comments: A fantastic example of a small paper doing big work to effect real change in the local community. Though they didn’t provide “multimedia” coverage, they did provide different angles – reporting on the lack of transparency, reporting on the after effect, and providing commentary to explain the importance to their community. That was essentially the work of just one person makes it incredibly deserving. It profoundly changed how public records are viewed in an Oregon community.

Full winning entry:
County, MCDC settle Enterprise lawsuit over records, promising more transparency
Commentary: Citizens are winners in Enterprise lawsuit over public records
Smith says under oath he had contract for reload project – but ‘no records exist’
Smith agrees to pay Malheur County $70,000 over mishandling of public records

Finalists: Jim Baumbach, Joie Tyrrell, Dandan Zou, Newsday, Teacher Misconduct on Long Island; Hannah Natanson, The Washington Post, The School Book Wars

The Burl Osborne Editorial and Opinion Award

Recognizes excellence in editorial writing that has made an impact on behalf of a community, resulting in change for the better. Sponsored by The Dallas Morning News.

Winner: San Antonio Express-News, Political crisis at the border

Judges’ comments: The team’s look at how barbed wire is a cruel and ineffective tactic to keep people from entering the U.S. holds back no punches against local leadership. Another column urging President Joe Biden to speak frankly with Americans about immigration similarly offers precise language and formative arguments on why the U.S. immigration policy is so broken.The team’s ambition and creativity continued as they traveled to New York City to see if migrants were welcome beyond Texas. This is a gripping, must-read series.

Full winning entry:

Editorial: In Eagle Pass, political ploys, not deterrents, line the border
Editorial: What Joe Biden needs to say to the nation about the border, immigration
Editorial: Texas’ border security bill doubles down on costly failure
Editorial: How Greg Abbott divided Democrats and redefined immigration in 2023

Finalists: The Boston Globe, editorials addressing the Massachusetts housing crisis; Isadora Rangel, Miami Dysfunction, Miami Herald

The Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing

Recognizes excellence in writing by an individual expressing a personal point of view. Sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.

Winner: Columns by Yvonne Abraham, The Boston Globe

Judges’ comments: For her poignant and insightful commentary writing about Boston’s homeless and the myriad issues they face. Abraham’s columns are deeply reported and eloquently written. The result is an empathetic, yet respectful look at the everyday struggles of those without permanent homes, trying to survive when often the complicated bureaucracy, which Abraham skillfully notes and calls out, makes that nearly impossible.

Full winning entry:

For some families, the right to shelter isn’t a right at all
They’re poor, but not poor enough to qualify for emergency housing in Massachusetts
When rock bottom isn’t low enough
Blaming homeless families
These advocates see the pain of homeless families up close every day. It takes a toll.

Finalists: Columns by Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times; Connie Wang and Connie Aramaki, The New York Times, Generation Connie

The Punch Sulzberger Innovator of the Year

Honors a journalist or organization that excels in new ways of executing the craft of journalism and whose work is a bold new approach. Sponsored by The New York Times.

Winner: Adam Clark, New Jersey Advance Media, The Oral History of Wawa

Judges’ comments: For anyone who has never stepped foot in Wawa, and even those who have, this was a fun and fresh way to tell the story of a company and how it continues to be a cultural phenomenon.

Finalists: Heather Hopp-Bruce, opinion designer, The Boston Globe, Monica Ulmanu, senior editor for visual storytelling, The Washington Post

The Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership

For the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in hiring and coverage. Sponsored by Gannett/USA TODAY Network.

Winner: The Mississippi Free Press

Judges’ comments: There are so many nonprofit newsrooms that have launched and do not take into account diversity and how to build trust in communities that have felt ignored. The Mississippi Free Press built their newsroom with community and its diversity in mind. They are a beacon of hope in our industry and a true example to follow for other news organizations.

The Roy Peter Clark Prize for Excellence in Short Writing

Honors compelling journalistic writing of less than 800 words in any medium. Sponsored by the Poynter Institute.

Winner: Maggie Prosser, The Dallas Morning News, “Deadly Fake: Something of hers”

Judges’ comments: This 425 word story about a grieving mother revealed the power of short writing, the judges said. It was clearly based upon a foundation of deep reporting and it was based on an important short-writing strategy: that there are small objects – a hair band – with big stories hiding inside of them.

Finalist: Kristin Schwab, Marketplace, Tell me how we work and spend. You have four minutes.”

2024 Poynter Journalism Prizes final judging board: Paul Cheung, strategic advisor, Hacks/Hackers; Kelly McBride, senior vice president, Poynter; Tom Jones, senior media writer, Poynter; Sitara Nieves, vice president, teaching and organizational strategy, Poynter. Mark Horvit, professor, University of Missouri School of Journalism; Robyn Tomlin, chief news officer, McClatchy, Alison Gerber, editor, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Emilio Garcia Ruiz, editor in chief, San Francisco Chronicle; Audrey Cooper, SVP of news and editor In chief, New York Public Radio; Ron Nixon, vice president, news and head of investigations, enterprise, partnerships and grants, The Associated Press.

Poynter Journalism Prizes jury participants: Kelley Benham French, Tracy Brown, LaSharah Bunting, Fernanda Camarena, Roy Peter Clark, Ben Conark, Mike Connelly, Ramon Escobar, Manny Garcia, Kristen Go, Kevin Goldberg, Katrice Hardy, Kristen Hare, Amy Hollyfield, Kathleen McGrory, Carla Minet, Benjamin Mullin, Amalie Nash, Jill Nevels-Haun, Tim Nickens, Sitara Nieves, Monica Richardson, Katie Sanders, Will Schick, Mary Shedden, Cristina Silva, Kerwin Speight, Kameel Stanley, Hollis Towns, John Woodrow Cox, Keith Woods, Alexandra Zayas.

Jurors and judges recused themselves from considering entries from their own news organizations and other close involvement or relationships.

Visit these pages for earlier winners of some of these awards, under the auspices of the News Leaders Association and the American Society of News Editors.