Past Winners
To view the winners in previous years, please choose a new year in the select list below.
2020
Best Single Article/Story
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Jane Mayer
-
"Trump TV"
The New Yorker
Judges said
- "Excellently sourced with good observations, and well written. The story is excellent material."
Best Profile
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Molly Langmuir
Judges said
- "Molly Langmuir does an excellent job of telling [Mayer’s] backstory, from her family history to her dognapping escapades. There's enough reporting around the core interview to flesh her out as a character and illuminate her technique."
Best Commentary
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Jenni Monet
-
"The crisis in covering Indian Country"
Columbia Journalism Review and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project
Judges said
- "This is true commentary bolstered by facts, figures and anecdotes; a very powerful essay."
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Molly Webster
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Bethel Habte
-
"Right to be Forgotten"
Radiolab/WNYC Studios
Judges said
- "This is such an important topic and such a powerfully told story… an outstanding illustration of the power of the digital press."
Best Story on Media Coverage of the Trump Impeachment
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Margaret Sullivan
-
"The two big flaws of the media’s impeachment coverage — and what went right"
The Washington Post
Judges said
- "Good reporting, solid writing, great perspective… fine column making important points, uniquely in her voice."
Best Story on the Future of Journalism
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Brent Cunningham
-
"Losing the News"
Pacific Standard
Judges said
- "[Cunningham] does a great job of capturing a sense of place as well as a problem many newspapers face and will face in the future… smoothly written, entertaining."
2019
Best Single Article/Story
Jesse Brenneman
Lois Beckett
-
"Face the Racist Nation"
WNYC Radio & Guardian US
Best Story on Journalists or Journalism in Peril
Davey Alba
Best Story on Social Media in the Crosshairs
Ryan Mac
Charlie Warzel
Alex Kantrowitz
Pranav Dixit
Megha Rajagopalan
Aisha Nazim
Miles O’Brien
Cameron Hickey
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
Ronan Farrow
-
"As Leslie Moonves Negotiates His Exit from CBS, Six Women Raise New Assault and Harassment Claims"
The New Yorker
-
"Trouble at the Top"
The New Yorker
2018
Best Single Article/Story
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Jim Rutenberg
-
"RT, Sputnik & Russia’s New Theory of War"
The New York Times Magazine
Best Story on Fake News
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Amanda Robb
-
"Pizzagate: A Slice of Fake News"
Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting in partnership with The Investigative Fund
-
"Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal"
Rolling Stone in partnership with The Investigative Fund
Best Story on Sexual Misconduct
in the Media Industry
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Irin Carmon
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Amy Brittain
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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The New York Times
Jodi Kantor
Megan Twohey
Rachel Abrams
Ellen Gabler
Susan Dominus
Jim Rutenberg
Steve Eder
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Ronan Farrow
2017
Best Single Article / Story
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Soraya Chemaly
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Catherine Buni
-
"The secret rules of the internet"
The Verge
Best Commentary
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Eric Alterman
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Gabriel Sherman
2016
Best Single Article –
Traditional/Legacy Media
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Peter Elkind
-
"Inside the Hack of the Century"
Fortune
Best Single Story – Radio, Television, Cable or Online Broadcast Media
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Matthew Billy
-
"I Want My MTV"
Between the Liner Notes
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Jonathan Mahler
-
"What Do We Really Know About Osama bin Laden’s Death?"
The New York Times Magazine
2015
Best Profile
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Benjamin Wallace
Best Single Article - Digital Media
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Anna Griffin
Best Single Article - Traditional/Legacy Media
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Amanda Hess
-
"Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet"
Pacific Standard
Best Single Story –
Radio, Television, Cable or Online Broadcast Media
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Bob Garfield
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Katya Rogers
-
"OTM Goes Inside Washington"
On The Media
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Bryan Burrough
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Sarah Ellison
2014
Best Single Article –
Digital Media
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Erik Wemple
-
"Politico’s Mike Allen, native advertising pioneer"
The Washington Post
Best Single Story – Radio, Television, Cable or Online Broadcast Media
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On the Media
Brooke Gladstone
Katya Rogers
Alex Goldman
PJ Vogt
Sarah Abdurrahman
Chris Neary
-
"The Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook"
On The Media
Best Commentary – Traditional/Legacy Media
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Michael Meyer
-
"False fronts"
Columbia Journalism Review
-
"Unfinished business"
Columbia Journalism Review
-
"News havens"
Columbia Journalism Review
Best Commentary – Digital Media
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Jina Moore
-
"Don’t blame the victim, or the photographer"
Salon
-
"Documenting domestic violence"
Columbia Journalism Review
-
"‘South African Violence’ Only Explains the Pistorius Case If He’s Not Guilty"
The Atlantic
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Frank Greve
-
"Combat Journalism"
CQ Researcher
2013
Best Single Story – Radio, Television, Cable or Online Broadcast Media
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Missouri Press Association
-
"Deadline in Disaster"
Missouri Press Association
Best Commentary – Traditional/Legacy Media
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Syed Irfan Ashraf
Best Single Article –
Digital Media
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Joe Eskenazi
-
"Top 5 Ways Bleacher Report Rules the World!"
San Francisco Weekly
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Jodi Enda
-
"Staying Alive"
American Journalism Review
Best Profile – Traditional/Legacy or Digital Media
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Adrian Chen
Best Commentary – Digital Media
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Craig Silverman
2012
Best Single Article, Traditional/Legacy Media
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Adam Lashinsky
Best Single Article, Digital Media
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Rhonda Roland Shearer
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Malik Ayub Sumbal
-
"Mrs. Bhutto's Murder Anniversary Part 1"
iMedia Ethics
Best Profile, Digital Media
Best Commentary, Traditional/Legacy Media

Anna Holmes
-
"The Disposable Woman"
The New York Times
-
"Anna Holmes on Donald Trump’s Sexism"
The Washington Post
-
"The best TV criticism’s ink is pink, but powerful"
The Washington Post
Best Commentary, Digital Media
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Rebecca Traister
John M. Higgins Award for
Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
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Peter Maass
-
"The Toppling"
The New Yorker and ProPublica
2011
Best Commentary, Traditional Media
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James Wolcott
-
Vanity Fair
Best Commentary, Digital Media
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Eric Alterman
2010
Best Single Article, Traditional Media
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Steven Johnson
Best Commentary, Traditional Media
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Michael Wolff
Best Commentary, Digital Media
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Matt Pressman
2009
Best Commentary, Traditional Media
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David Carr
Best Commentary, Digital Media
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Clive Thompson
Best In-depth Piece, Traditional Media
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David Barstow
-
"Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand"
The New York Times
-
"One Man’s Military-Industrial-Media Complex"
The New York Times
2008
Best Commentary
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Joe Nocera
2007
Best Single Article
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Clive Thompson
Best Coverage of Breaking Industry News
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Dean Miller
-
"A Local Newspaper Endures a Stormy Backlash"
Nieman Reports