Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting
Political Reporting Prize in the United States
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The Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting was established in 2009 to celebrate the life and work of Robin Toner, the late New York Times political correspondent.[1] It is awarded by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University.
| |
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
Main organ | Syracuse University |
| Website | tonerprogram |
The program includes the annual Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting and Toner Prize Celebration. The award, which includes $5,000, is presented at an annual ceremony that features a distinguished speaker. In 2016, then-President Barack Obama delivered the keynote address.
Entries are judged on how well they reflect the high standards and depth of reporting that marked Toner's work. In particular, the judges look for how well the entries:
- illuminate the electoral process or
- reveal the politics of policy and
- engage the public in democracy.
Entries must be fact-based reporting, not commentary. Single articles, series or a body of work are eligible. Books are ineligible.[1]
Toner Prize recipients
| Year | Recipient | News Organization(s) | Description of Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Craig Harris | Arizona Republic | for an 8-part series on Arizona's broken and expensive public pension plan.[2] |
| 2012 | Jane Mayer | The New Yorker | for an in-depth look, titled State for Sale, at the effects on North Carolina of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission.[3] |
| 2013 | Molly Ball | The Atlantic | for her in-depth reporting on the 2012 election.[4] |
| 2014 | Karen Tumulty | The Washington Post | for her reporting on politicians, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as well as her in-depth look at the political landscape in West Virginia.[5][6] |
| 2015 | Dan Balz | The Washington Post | for a series of political profiles that illuminated the partisan divide in Washington.[7][8][9] |
| 2016 | Alec MacGillis | ProPublica | for a collection of stories on issues in politics and governance.[10] |
| 2017 | David Fahrenthold | The Washington Post | for “A Portrait of Donald Trump,” a series of articles highlighting his yearlong reporting on Trump.[11] |
| 2018 | Team from The Washington Post | The Washington Post | for its coverage of candidate Roy Moore and the 2017 Alabama Senate race, which uncovered a pattern of sexual misconduct by Moore.[12][13] |
| 2019 | Jason Zengerle | The New York Times Magazine,GQ | for his reporting on the effects of Trump presidency on the House Intelligence Committee.[14] |
| 2020 | Team from The Boston Globe | The Boston Globe | for the 2019 Back to the Battleground series in which the eight-member team of Globe reporters covered four key battleground states that helped decide the 2016 presidential election.[15] |
| 2021 | David A. Graham | The Atlantic | for coverage of the 2020 presidential election, focusing particularly on undecided voters in swing states and election integrity.[16] |
| 2022 | (National) Team from The Washington Post (Local) David Wickert, Mark Niesse, Greg Bluestein, Maya T. Prabhu, Tia Mitchell, Isaac Sabetai and Jim Galloway. |
The Washington Post The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |
for "The Attack", an investigation into what happened before, during and after the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[17] for "Inside the Campaign to Undermine Georgia’s Election"[18][19] |
| 2023 | (National) Josh Gerstein, Alex Ward, Peter Canellos, Hailey Fuchs, Heidi Przybyla, Elena Schneider and Holly Otterbein (Local) Phil Williams |
Politico WTVF Nashville |
for "The Supreme Court and Abortion", reporting that leaked the draft of U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. for "Revealed” investigation; efforts to look into how laws are made in the supermajority ruled Tennessee General Assembly. |
| 2024 | (National) Greg Jaffe and Patrick Marley (Local) Anna Orso, Sean Walsh, Julia Terruso, Aseem Shukla and Layla Jones |
The Washington Post Philadelphia Inquirer |
"Ottawa County" "The race for Philadelphia’s 100th mayor"[20][21] |
| 2025 | (National) Reporters: Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, Aram Roston and Joseph Tanfani (Local) Spencer Kent and Riley Yates |
Reuters NJ Advance Media |
"The Politics of Menace"[22] "Project Extreme"[23][24] |