Category: WHCA Journalism Awards

Announcing 2020 Awards

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce the winners of our 2020 journalism awards.

“This year’s winners represent the best of the kind of journalism America needs now more than ever — fact-based reporting that holds those in power accountable without fear or favor,” said Jonathan Karl, the president of the association.

The winners include journalists from PBS, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times and ProPublica.

The awards this year include two new prizes:  The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability and the Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists.

Of the entries for the new Katharine Graham Award, the judges wrote: “If anyone doubts the vigor of journalism today, we would invite them to look at the entries for the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability. It was a remarkable field covering a range of topics, which made it hard to settle on a winner.”

Here are the winners of the 2020 WHCA journalism awards:

The Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage:

Yamiche Alcindor of  PBS NewsHour

From the judges:

Yamiche Alcindor is serious, incisive and — though she has a quiet demeanor — tough as nails. Her asylum seekers report was exceptionally well done. She has interesting new takes on national stories. Her work on immigration and race are sensitively handled.

Alcindor’s qualities reflect integrity, impartial analysis, breadth and depth of knowledge of the presidency and a love of the institution. We look forward to watching her work for decades to come.

SEE THE STORIES

In Britain, Trump combines ceremony with controversy

In Ohio, do Republican voters care about Trump’s remarks on race?

Trump praises ‘unity’ at G-7, but diverges from other leaders on policy

Why the man Trump once called ‘my African American’ is leaving the GOP

How Rudy Giuliani went from ‘America’s mayor’ to Ukraine business broker

Asylum seekers forced to remain in Mexico face daily threat of violence

Honorable mentions:

Peter Baker: As always, he produces “big idea” stories illustrated with small details and color. He speaks truth to power. Peter Baker is a must read and a rare talent.

Phil Rucker: His work is a “must read.” He has great insight into President Trump and the Administration’s workings. He can always shed light on the president’s behavior and motivations.

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure for Print:

Alan Cullison, Rebecca Ballhaus and Dustin Volz of  The Wall Street Journal.

From the judges:

The story that would light the fuse of impeachment posted on a sunny Friday afternoon in September. Under the headline ‘Trump Repeatedly Pressed Ukraine to Investigate Biden’s Son,’ Wall Street Journal reporters Alan Cullison, Rebecca Ballhaus and Dustin Volz revealed that in a July phone call the president of the United States pressured Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky to initiate a probe of Hunter Biden.

As described by the New York Times three months later, the Journal’s “explosive” story was the final straw for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Within days the once-reluctant Pelosi initiated an impeachment investigation. The story illuminated what until then had been provocative but vague reports of a whistleblower’s complaint about a Trump call with a foreign leader.

The Journal reporters wrote with context and sweep and made the implications clear from the start: Trump, the lede said, wanted Zelensky to work with Rudy Giuliani “on a probe that could hamper Mr. Trump’s potential 2020 opponent.” The Journal’s relentless reporting broke new ground and gave the public information that the administration had tried to keep under wraps.

See the story

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure for Broadcast:

CNN for “FBI. Open the door.”

From the judges:

CNN’s reporting on the Roger Stone arrest began a month earlier, with a clue about a court scheduling anomaly. Then came unusual grand jury activity. Then an odd, packed suitcase wheeled by one of the prosecutors in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Stone. It culminated early in the morning of Jan. 25, 2019, when a CNN producer and a photojournalist, staked outside of Stone’s home in Ft. Lauderdale, captured the 5 a.m., no-knock raid by the FBI of the former confidant of President Donald Trump.

CNN’s viewers saw the raid unfold in real time, the product of a team or reporters, producers and photojournalists tracking the investigation over months, connecting the dots and scooping the rest of the press corps. They even scooped Stone’s own lawyers, who only found out when CNN called for a comment. In addition to the exclusive video, the team produced a compelling, supportive package that explained the charges against Stone.  On deadline.

SEE THE STORY

The Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists:

Doug Mills of the New York Times for “the Pelosi Clap.”

From the judges:

Doug Mills’ photograph of Nancy Pelosi and President Trump at the State of the Union Address is a visual representation of one of the most contentious political relationships in recent memory. The Speaker of the House lets the nation know exactly what she thinks of Trump as she claps with outstretched arms, tilting her head with a smirk across her face. The image brilliantly displays the tension, the personal animus and the power clash among branches of government that tells the story of this time and of this presidency. As the coronavirus story has developed, and we have witnessed the ongoing competition and crisis in Washington, it remains a vivid and relevant illustration of the fundamental discord and dysfunction that has attended this unprecedented, deeply polarized time.

By Doug Mills, New York Times

By Doug Mills, The New York Times

The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability:

ProPublica’s “Death in the Pacific.”

From the judges:

The stories shined a new light on separate collisions in 2017 involving two Navy destroyers and a 2018 Marine mid-air collision, incidents that led to the deaths of 23 service members. Months of reporting and document reviews exposed problems in the esteemed Pacific Fleet that the Navy – which worked hard to block the reporting – would rather have ignored or blamed on sailors. Top-notch reporting was combined with detail-rich writing that made the stories impossible to put down.

READ THE STORIES

Feb. 6, 2019

Fight the Ship: Death and Valor on a Warship Doomed by its own Navy

Dec. 30, 2019

Faulty Equipment, Lapsed Training, Repeated Warnings: How a

Preventable Disaster Killed Six Marines

Nov. 20, 2019

Blame Over Justice: The Human Toll of the Navy’s Relentless

Push to Punish One of Its Own

Honorable Mention

The Chicago Tribune and ProPublica for their “Quiet Rooms” project. It exposed the practice in Illinois schools of restraining or locking children away in isolation rooms for infractions as simple as using “raised voice tones” at school. The practice was a shock to some parents. Through careful reporting and well-crafted storytelling, they showed how a well-intentioned law was abused – recording more than 35,000 incidents in 15 months – and they sparked legislative change.”

ABOUT THE AWARDS

The Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage

This award recognizes a correspondent who personifies the journalistic excellence and personal qualities of Aldo Beckman, a former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Established in 1981, the Aldo Beckman, a joint effort of The Tribune Company and the WHCA, carries a cash prize of $1,000.

Judges:

Lucy Dalglish, Dean, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland.

Jackie Judd, retired correspondent for ABC News, PBS NewsHour, CBS News and NPR.

Ann Compton, retired White House correspondent for ABC News and WHCA president 2007-2008.

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure

The award for excellence originated in 1970 in memory of Merriman Smith of United Press International, a White House correspondent for more than thirty years. The $2,500 award was conceived to perpetuate Mr. Smith’s memory and to promote the excellence he brought to his profession. The award is offered in two categories: Print and television

Judges:

Ellen Shearer, Washington Bureau Chief and William F. Thomas Professor of Journalism, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University.

Jim Kuhnhenn, Press Freedom Fellow at National Press Club Journalism Institute, former White House reporter for the Associated Press, Congressional correspondent for Knight Ridder.

Bryan Monroe, Associate Professor of Practice, Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication; former president of NABJ; former Editor-in-Chief, Ebony & Jet magazines.

The Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists

The award is presented for the first time in 2020. It recognizes a video or photojournalist for uniquely covering the presidency from a journalistic standpoint, either at the White House or in the field. This could be breaking news, a scheduled event or feature coverage. The award is based on a single piece of visual journalism and comes with a prize of $1,000.

Judges:

Carole Simpson, former anchor for ABC News and Professor Journalism at Emerson College.

Yanick Lamb, Professor, Cathy Hughes School of Communications, Department of Media, Journalism and Film, Howard University.

Frank Sesno, Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University.

The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability

The award is being given for the first time in 2020. It recognizes an individual or newsgathering team for coverage of subjects and events of significant national or regional importance in line with the human and professional qualities exemplified by the late Katharine Graham, the distinguished former publisher of The Washington Post. Judges will look for excellence in stories with fairness and objectivity in selecting a recipient, and special consideration will be given to reporting undertaken despite adversity. It comes with a prize of $10,000.

Judges:

Peter Maer, retired CBS News White House Correspondent, longtime WHCA Board member and officer.

Steve Crane, Cronkite News/Arizona PBS, Arizona State University, Washington, D.C.

Amy Eisman, Director of Journalism Division, School of Communication at American University.

Terence Hunt: retired former deputy bureau chief and White House correspondent for the Associated Press.

New WHCA Award to Recognize Visual Journalism

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is very pleased to announce the creation of a new award to honor photojournalism in the coverage of the presidency.

The Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists will be presented for the first time at the association’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 25. The detailed Call for Entries will be posted soon.

 “Some of the best photographers and videographers in the business cover the White House, capturing the images that help define the presidency,” said Jonathan Karl of ABC News, the president to the association. “This prize will recognize the best of the best.”

The prize, approved by the WHCA board, will recognize a video or photojournalist for uniquely covering the presidency from a journalistic standpoint, either at the White House or in the field. This could be breaking news, a scheduled event or feature coverage.

Competition will be open to all visual journalists who cover the White House on a regular basis, or whose reporting is primarily devoted to coverage of the White House or the presidency.  The award will be based on a single piece of visual journalism during the year ending December 31, 2019. It will come with a prize of $1,000.

The deadline for entries will be Monday, March 2.

The new award will be one of several honoring exemplary journalism at this year’s WHCA dinner. Also to be presented:

  • The Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage;
  • The Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure;

The deadline for submissions for the WHCA awards is March 2.

The details and Call for Entries for each will be posted soon at whca.press.

The 2020 dinner also will include the inaugural presentation of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications to honor statehouse reporting. The deadline for submitting entries for that award is Jan. 31. Information about that award and submission information can be found here.

For more information, contact WHCA Executive Director Steve Thomma at 202-266-7453 or director@whca.press

WHCA to Showcase Major New Journalism Award

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce that it will feature a major new prize for journalism at its annual dinner starting in 2020, The Collier Prize for State Government Accountability sponsored by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

The $25,000 prize, one of the largest journalism prizes in the nation, is designed to encourage coverage of state government, focusing on investigative and political reporting.

The award is funded by Nathan S. Collier, founder and chairman of The Collier Companies headquartered in Gainesville, Florida. Collier is a descendant of Peter Fenelon Collier, who in 1888 founded Collier’s, a weekly magazine focused on investigative journalism and publishing stories from renowned journalists such as Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell and Samuel Hopkins Adams. 

One of the magazine’s most famous investigative series was the “The Great American Fraud,” which analyzed the contents of popular patent medicines and led to the first Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.

“Collier’s Weekly had a long history of investigative journalism, shining light in the dark recesses of government,” said Collier, great grandnephew of the magazine’s founder. “I am honoring Peter Fenelon Collier’s vision and dedication by supporting a vibrant free press, particularly at the state government level.”

The WHCA board agreed to present the award to help encourage and promote state-based reporting.

“I’m deeply grateful to the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications for partnering with us to create the Collier Prize for Statehouse Accountability,” said Olivier Knox, WHCA president. “Few trends in news worry me more than the widespread hollowing-out of local and regional coverage. The WHCA cannot, by itself or even with a generous partner, reverse this corrosive phenomenon, but we owe it to ourselves and to the public to sound this call to arms.”

In announcing this award, UFCJC Dean Diane McFarlin cited a diminished investment in statehouse coverage over the last decade.

“The professional news media’s watchdog role in state capitols has declined precipitously over the last decade in the number of journalists employed to cover state governments,” said McFarlin, former publisher of the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune. “The result is that citizens don’t know what they don’t know, and the danger is that corruption and malfeasance can proceed unchecked. We hope this prize will encourage more rigorous coverage of a government body that has a direct impact on citizens’ lives every day.”

A 2014 assessment of state capitol press corps by the Pew Research Center found that the number of newspaper reporters covering state capitols declined by 35 percent between 2003 and 2014. Less than one-third of newspapers today assign even one reporter to the statehouse. Among local TV news stations, it is just 14 percent.  In Florida alone, the number of journalists stationed in Tallahassee and assigned to cover the Legislature and government agencies has dwindled by as much as half in the last decade, by some estimates.

UFCJC will partner with WHCA to promote, administer and present the annual award. Although primarily focused on White House coverage, WHCA seeks to support the coverage of politics and government broadly, including the state level.

Details for submitting nominations for the 2020 award will be available in fall 2019.

About Nathan S. Collier

Nathan S. Collier is founder and chairman of The Collier Companies, the largest owner of multifamily housing with more than 45 properties and approximately 11,000 apartments in Florida, Oklahoma and Georgia. Collier, who earned a bachelor’s, master’s and J.D. from the University Florida, has endowed the Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate program at UF’s Warrington College of Business. He is a generous supporter of the arts in Gainesville and financial patron of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About the White House Correspondents Association

The White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. 

About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, recognized by its peers as one of the premier programs in the country, is driving innovation and engagement across the disciplines of advertising, journalism, public relations and telecommunication. The college’s strength is drawn from both academic rigor and experiential learning. It offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, and The Agency, an integrated strategic communication and consumer research agency focused on marketing to young adults. The College includes seven broadcast and digital media properties, the Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and the nation’s only STEM Translational Communication Center and Center for Public Interest Communications.

WHCA Announces President’s Award for Martha Joynt Kumar

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is very happy to announce that it will present The President’s Award to presidential scholar Martha Joynt Kumar at the association’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 28.

The President’s Award honors exceptional service to the WHCA. It is being given on the recommendation of association president Margaret Talev and the approval of the association board.

“Martha is a treasure to White House correspondents – an incredible resource who is uniquely accessible in real time because of her regular presence in the briefing room and press workspace and her ongoing discussions with the administration,” Talev said. “When covering a president who prides himself on upending the status quo and leaving his own mark on traditions, it’s especially valuable to have Martha’s expertise to help put his words and actions in context with past administrations.”

Martha Joynt Kumar is a scholar of the presidency and the press who has spent two decades recording and analyzing the relationship between journalists and the White House.

She has been of great service to members of the White House Correspondents’ Association with her unique statistics on how often journalists get to question the president. She is frequently

quoted in news stories in all media. Her authoritative records are used by the association in its work to gain access to the president and administration officials.

Martha represents that special bridge between the “first draft of history” that we do and the presidential- and executive-branch historians who put our work into context.

She is the author of “Managing the President’s Message: The White House Communications Operation” and several other books and articles on the way the press and presidency work. She is an emeritus Professor in the Department of Political Science at Towson University,

director of the White House Transition Project, and a board member of the White House Historical Association.

WHCA Announces Scholarships, Now at a Record 11 Universities

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce its 2018 scholarship winners in partnership with a growing number of university partners around the country. The addition of new partnerships with 3 schools brings the total up to 11 from eight.

The new school partners are Arizona State University, Grambling State University and Iowa State University.

They are being added to the roster of existing WHCA scholarship partnerships at Columbia University, the George Washington University, Howard University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Maryland and the University of Missouri. The students – some will be announced later this year – will receive a total of $148,000 in grants, including $134,500 from the association and $13,500 from the schools.

Most will be recognized at the association’s annual dinner on April 28.

“These students represent the next generation of American journalists and a diverse and inspired group of future White House correspondents,” said Margaret Talev, president of the association.

“WHCA is proud to partner with universities and news organizations to assist with our scholars’ education and connect them with mentors inside our press corps. Each year, we host a special luncheon on the eve of the dinner to welcome them. We also are proud to introduce them at our dinner. WHCA is working to expand our scholarships across the U.S. and we welcome support from individuals and news organizations.”

Click here to learn more about this year’s scholarship winners.

WHCA Receives International Freedom of Press Award in Germany

Posted on by dcadmin

Read the full article and watch the video interview on the DW.com website

Reporters in Trump White House scoop DW Freedom of Speech Award The president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Jeff Mason, has been given the 2017 DW Freedom of Speech Award. Mason said he hopes it will “shed light on the importance of press freedom around the world.”

White House Correspondents’ Association Journalism Awards

Posted on by dcadmin

The White House Correspondents’ Association is presenting three major journalism awards at the annual dinner on April 29, 2017, to recognize distinguished reporting. The awards are among the most prestigious in our field. Prizes range from $1,000 to $2,500. You are encouraged to review your 2016 reporting and consider entering the competition. The three contests are open to print and broadcast journalists.

The Merriman Smith Award ($2,500) recognizes presidential news coverage under deadline pressure, with separate awards for print and broadcast journalists. Broadcast tapes also may be submitted with scripts.

The Aldo Beckman Award ($1,000) recognizes repeated excellence in White House coverage, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist. Entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, photocopies or broadcast scripts. Online entries must be original Web content. Broadcast tapes also may be submitted with scripts.

The Edgar A. Poe Award ($2,500) recognizes excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist. Entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, photocopies or online entries. Broadcast tapes also may be submitted. Online entries must be original Web content.

READ MORE ON THE AWARDS PAGE AND DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORMS

White House Correspondents’ Association Announces 2016 Journalism Awards

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association, founded in 1914 and dedicated to full coverage of the President of the United States, is proud to announce the winners of its annual awards for distinguished print and broadcast journalism.

  • The winner of the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award for excellence in White House coverage is Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal.
  • The winner of the Merriman Smith Award for outstanding White House coverage under deadline pressure is Matt Viser of the Boston Globe.
  • The winner of the Merriman Smith award for broadcast journalism is Norah O’Donnell of CBS News.

The Edgar A. Poe awards, which recognizes excellence in coverage of events or investigative topics of regional or national interest, will be shared this year by Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post and Neela Banerjee, John Cushman Jr., David Hasemyer and Lisa Song of InsideClimate News.

The Edgar A. Poe Award

The Edgar A. Poe Award honors excellence in news coverage of subjects and events of significant national or regional importance, written with fairness and objectivity. A prize of $2,500 was established by the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Newhouse Newspapers in honor of their distinguished correspondent, Edgar A. Poe.

Terrence McCoy. Photo © Mary F. Calvert
Terrence McCoy. Photo © Mary F. Calvert

From the Judges on Terrence McCoy of The Washington Post

After African-American Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore, McCoy investigated the fact overlooked by others that Gray ingested lead paint as a child, leaving him permanently disabled. McCoy learned Gray was among tens of thousands of poor black Baltimore residents similarly poisoned as children. Gray had received a settlement from a 2008 lead poisoning lawsuit, with the money distributed over years to assure that plaintiffs, often unsophisticated in financial matters, didn’t spend all the money at once. But Gray sold the payouts to a company called Access Funding in return for a lump- sum payment that cost him several hundred thousand dollars in lost payouts. McCoy’s investigation found access funding had struck similar deals with many other lead poisoning victims. His findings led to substantial reforms aimed at protecting these vulnerable citizens.

From the Judges on InsideClimate News

As early as 1977, scientists at energy and oil giant Exxon Corporation told top executives that fossil fuel emissions were warming the planet. Over time, however, Exxon became a leader in denying climate change and argued that the science was inclusive. Reporters Neela Banerjee, John Cushman, Jr., David Hasemyer and Lisa Song of InsideClimate News, used documents, interviews and the public record from four decades to reveal a deeply disturbing trail from climate change discovery to denial. The story prompted the New York Attorney General to issue a subpoena to force Exxon to disclose records in order to determine if it committed fraud under state law.

Honorable Mention to Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe

Michael Kranish”s 10-part “Divided Nation” series probed the impact of class, race and income inequality on voter sentiment. His strong characters and compelling writing made personal the vast and widening gap between rich and poor in America. Kranish’s reporting linked the 2008 economic crisis, massive home foreclosure, escalating CEO compensation, corporate stock buy-back plans and centuries-old racial schisms to the voter anger, frustration and disillusionment.

Judges for the Poe Award

  • Ellen Shearer: Director, Medill School of Journalism Washington Program, Co-Director, Medill National Security Journalism Initiative, Washington, DC
  • Indira Somani: Howard UniversityAsst. Professor/Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Scholar, Washington, DC
  • A’Lelia Bundles: National Archives Foundation Washington, DC
  • Frank Sesno: Director, The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, Washington, DC

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award for excellence in presidential news coverage under deadline pressure originated in 1970 in memory of Merriman Smith of United Press International, a White House correspondent for more than thirty years. The award carries a cash prize of $2,500.

From the Judges on Matt Viser

In his July 14 piece, “An Inside Look at How the Iran Talks Unfolded,” Viser made the judges feel like they were in the room with Secretary of State John Kerry, his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and the other negotiators in Vienna. Viser made the diplomatic language of a landmark international agreement accessible to average readers. His story skillfully wove in telling details and scene-setting color.

From the Judges on Norah O’Donnell:

O’Donnell’s “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, was insightful regarding the Vice President’s announcement that he would not seek the presidency.

Honorable Mention for David Nakamura, The Washington Post:

“An Angry Obama Upbraids Critics Who Want to Block Refugees from Syria.” The account of President Obama’s reaction to the Paris attacks-and to his Republican critics-while attending an economic summit in the Philippines was deeply reported and well written.

Judges for the Merriman Smith Award:

  • Tom Diemer: Editor and Lecturer Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism Washington Program
  • Steve Crane: Cronkite News, Arizona State University, Washington, DC
  • Jackie Jones: Associate Professor and Chair of Multimedia Journalism, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD

The Aldo Beckman Award

This award recognizes a correspondent who personifies the journalistic excellence and personal qualities of Aldo Beckman, a former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. Established in 1981, the Aldo Beckman, a joint effort of The Tribune Company and the WHCA, carries a cash prize of $1,000.

From the Judges on Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal: Carol Lee focused on one of the most critical responsibilities of a president, foreign policy. Her coverage displayed a heft and authority that illuminated Mr. Obama’s policies as well as motivations. She melded the elements into a coherent framework that was understandable to her readers and wove those themes into her coverage of events, providing context and clarifying analysis.

Judges for the Aldo Beckman Award:

  • Barbara Cochran: Curtis B. Hurley Chair, University of Missouri School of Journalism, Washington, DC
  • Kwame Holman: Former Political Correspondent, PBS NewsHour, Upper Marlboro, MD
  • Bryan Monroe: Verizon Chair and Professor, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

The WHCA Board of Directors would like to congratulate the 2016 journalism awards winners and extend our deepest thanks and gratitude to the judges who worked on this year’s award submissions.

White House Correspondents’ Association Announces 2015 Awards

Posted on by dcadmin

The White House Correspondents’ Association is presenting three major journalism awards at the annual dinner on April 25, 2015 to recognize distinguished reporting. The awards are among the most prestigious in our field. Prizes range from $1,000 to $2,500. You are encouraged to review your 2014 reporting and consider entering the competition.

The three contests are open to print and broadcast journalists. The WHCA board has enlisted the Medill School of Journalism and Ellen Shearer, co-director of the Medill News Service here in Washington, D.C., to help coordinate the judging of the three contests.

The Merriman Smith Award ($2,500) recognizes presidential news coverage under deadline pressure, with separate awards for print and broadcast journalists. Broadcast tapes (DVD) also may be submitted with scripts.

The Aldo Beckman ($1,000) recognizes repeated excellence in White House coverage, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist. Entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, photocopies or broadcast scripts. Online entries must be original Web content. Broadcast tapes (DVD) also may be submitted with scripts.

The Edgar A. Poe Award ($2,500) recognizes excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist. Entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, photocopies or online entries. Broadcast tapes (DVD) also may be submitted. Online entries must be original Web content.

The deadline for entries is March 4, 2015. If you have any questions, please contact: Ellen Shearer of Medill News Service, Chair of the WHCA Awards Committee, at 202-661-0102 or E-mail: shearer@northwestern.edu or Julia Whiston of the WHCA at 202-266-7453 or E-mail: whca@starpower.net. We will send you a separate mailing later to provide details about the upcoming dinner.

MORE INFO AND DOWNLOADABLE ENTRY FORMS

White House Correspondents’ Association Announces 2015 Award Winners

Posted on by dcadmin

The White House Correspondents’ Association is proud to announce the winners of its annual journalism awards. The awards will be presented at the WHCA’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2015.

For the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award, which recognizes repeated excellence in White House coverage, the winner is Peter Baker of the New York Times. Baker won the Merriman Smith Memorial Award in 2014.

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award, which recognizes deadline work in both print and broadcast, goes to Josh Lederman of the Associated Press and Jim Avila of ABC News.

The Edgar A. Poe Award, which recognizes coverage of news of national or regional significance, is shared by Carol A. Leonnig of the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal team of Gary Fields, John R. Emshwiller, Rob Barry and Coulter Jones

The Aldo Beckman Memorial Award

This recognizes repeated excellence in White House coverage, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist. The award this year is given to Peter Baker of the New York Times.

From the judges:

Baker’s pieces are written with depth, insight and authority. He uses his longevity on the beat to give his stories the historic context that lifts them beyond the crush of daily coverage. Strong reporting makes for good writing, as Baker shows time and again. Iraq, he writes, is the “graveyard of American ambition.”

Special mention to Scott Horsley of National Public Radio for his creative coverage of White House policies and politics. Like Baker, but through use of the broadcast medium and natural sound, Horsley offers interesting, insightful takes on the president’s efforts to make a difference in the turbulent world of 2014.

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award

This award recognizes presidential news coverage under deadline pressure, with separate awards for print and broadcast journalists.

Print: Josh Lederman, AP, “Fence Jumper”

Broadcast: Jim Avila, ABC News, “Cuba/Alan Gross”

From the judges:

When a jumper made it over the White House fence in September, Josh Lederman was not only in the right place at the right time, but he quickly realized this was more than the less-than-routine, but not unheard of, security breaches at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The first to report that the intruder actually made it inside the White House before being apprehended, Lederman was also resourceful enough to use social media to locate an official source for comment on a Friday night, when official Washington normally rolls up the sidewalks, to confirm his hunch that the breach was more serious than it was being portrayed. Lederman’s quick thinking and ability to turn around a story with nuance in a short time frame made this report stand out.

Jim Avila didn’t stop after breaking news that U.S. contractor Alan Gross was being released by the Cuban government after five years. Avila kept going — both on the story and on the map. In a whirlwind day of reporting, Avila reported Gross’ release, detailed negotiations behind it, explained the prisoner swap that was part of it and alerted viewers of the steps to thaw Cuban relations that the president was about to announce. He filed those reports while hopping from Miami to the Caymans to Havana, where he capped a day of news by interviewing Cubans about the historic changes. From tight, breathless morning reports where every word was news, to relaxed man-on-the-street evening interviews, Avila told the whole story on merciless deadlines. That’s the sort of excellence in presidential news coverage under deadline pressure that the Merriman Smith Award is meant to honor.

 

Edgar A. Poe Award

This award recognizes excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. This year, it goes to two entries:

The Wall Street Journal’s Gary Fields, John R. Emshwiller, Rob Barry and Coulter Jones, “America’s Rap Sheet”

Carol A. Leonnig of the Washington Post, “Secret Service”

 

From the judges:

Insightful and dogged reporting by the Wall Street Journal’s Gary Fields, John R. Emshwiller, Rob Barry and Coulter Jones documents the erosion of citizen trust in law-enforcement officials, chronicles the inadequate data keeping of killings by police and reveals the startling statistic that nearly one third of the adult American population has an arrest record. “America’s Rap Sheet” explores the roots and consequences of our country’s current policing crisis, illuminating the stunning dysfunction of a system that contributes to the disenfranchisement of our most vulnerable citizens. The Journal’s findings – impossible to ignore – have been duly noted by federal officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder, who called the work “significant.”

Carol A. Leonnig of the Washington Post shares the Edgar A. Poe Award for her tenacious and revelatory beat reporting on problems within the United States Secret Service. Leonnig showed, over and over, how security lapses and other serious shortcomings at every level of the sprawling agency have undermined its very mission, especially in protecting the President of the United States. In shedding light on these longstanding problems, and the Secret Service’s inability to effectively reform itself, her coverage truly exemplifies what the Poe Award stands for — excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance.

HONORABLE MENTION

Daniel Wagner, Eleanor Bell and Amirah Al Idrus of the Center for Public Integrity, “Profiting from Prisoners.” With the privatization of America’s prisons, inmates now are charged for everything from toilet paper to winter clothes. This two-part series examines how the prison commissary has become a profit center. Particularly startling was the investigation of how prisons collaborate with a Miami-based company that forces prisoners’ families to use its services and skims high fees from all transactions.

Judges for the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award:

Tom Diemer, Medill News Service, Northwestern in DC

Barbara Cochran, University of Missouri

Indira Somani, Howard University

 

Judges for the Merriman Smith Memorial Award:

Ellen Shearer, Medill News Service, Northwestern in DC

Steve Crane, Cronkite News Service, Arizona State University in DC

Jackie Jones, Consultant and writing coach

 

Judges for the Edgar A. Poe Award:

A’lelia Bundles, Foundation for the National Archives

Amy Eisman, American University

Josh Meyer, Medill News Service, Northwestern in DC

Barbara Feinman Todd, Georgetown University

2014 White House Correspondents’ Association℠ Journalism Awards

Posted on by dcadmin

The White House Correspondents’ Association today announces the winners of its journalism awards. The awards will be presented at the annual dinner of the association on Saturday, May 3.

The judges chose two winners this year for Aldo Beckman Memorial Award, which recognizes repeated excellence in White House coverage. They are Glenn Thrush of Politico and Brianna Keilar of CNN.

The judges of the Merriman Smith Memorial Award, which recognizes deadline work in both print and broadcast, honored Peter Baker of the New York Times and Peter Maer of CBS.

And the judges of the Edgar A. Poe Award, which recognizes coverage of news of national or regional significance, chose two winners. They are Megan Twohey and a team at Reuters, and a joint work by The Center for Public Integrity in partnership with ABC News. An Honorable mention goes to the Seattle Times and reporter Craig Welch and photographer Steve Ringman.

The Aldo Beckman Memorial Award

The award this year is given equally to two entries, Glenn Thrush of Politico and Brianna Keilar of CNN.

From the judges:

Glenn Thrush’s “Locked in the Cabinet” is an incisive piece of journalism that prompts some remarkable and candid admissions from Obama confidantes and takes us deep inside the process to better understand how Obama governs and manages. It is brilliantly written and utterly compelling. Thrush’s description of the administration’s “lurching, improvisational character” sheds light on both the process and the problems this administration has confronted. It even gives us a history lesson of the origins of the political term “cabinet.” This is a powerful and well-constructed piece of narrative journalism that provides information interpretation and perspective.

Brianna Keilar’s excellent, detailed and utterly approachable reporting sheds light on many of the specifics that have led to the political debacle of the affordable care act. Several stories revolve around information or documents obtained exclusively by CNN. The material is presented with compelling clarity, vivid production values and rock-solid documentation. These stories provide a vital narrative and understanding as they unfold over time. In every way––reporting, writing, presentation and production––these stories contribute context and understanding and demonstrate both breaking news and enterprise excellence.

The Merriman Smith Memorial Award

The award is given in a print and broadcast category

From the judges:

Print: Peter Baker, The New York Times
“Obama Seeks Approval by Congress for Strike in Syria”
Aug. 31, 2013
Peter Baker’s breaking coverage of the White House’s sudden shift on what was expected to be a day of military strikes against Syria was, in the words of one judge, “well-reported, insightful, informative, thorough and all done under deadline pressure.” As the story continued to shift under his feet, Baker drew on his wealth of sources to deliver comprehensive coverage that managed to deliver historical context along with up-to-the-minute developments and political reaction to the news. The depth of that reporting resulted in a story that took readers from White House inner circles to Capitol Hill and beyond, and gave them historical context as well as a look at what might happen next. It is an outstanding piece of deadline work.

Broadcast: Peter Maer, CBS News
“Sequestration”
Feb. 26, 2013
Peter Maer’s story on the potential impact of budget sequestration did what White House reporters too rarely do: It humanized a national political story, and managed to do so on an extremely tight deadline, no less. Maer’s initiative took what could have been tossed off as just another speech story and instead put a complex issue in context, through his use of distinctive new voices and his own background knowledge of the story. He gives listeners a piece that is concise without shortchanging any of the issues or emotions. Richly detailed, good storytelling all around on an important breaking news story.

Edgar A. Poe Award

The award is given equally to two entries: Megan Twohey of Reuters and The Center for Public Integrity in partnership with ABC News.

From the judges:

“The Child Exchange: Inside America’s Underground Market for Adopted Children,” by Megan Twohey
This chilling and thoroughly reported project raised awareness of a significant problem that most Americans had never heard of before: adoptions gone awry, and the fallout from what happens to the children afterward. The team broke new ground, creating databases and mining social media bulletin boards to show how adopted children–often from overseas–can be handed off to strangers with little if any government oversight or regulation, often with tragic consequences. For unveiling the dark side of the informal and damaging practice known as “private re-homing,” Megan Twohey and the team at Reuters share the Poe award.

“Breathless and Burdened: Dying from black lung, buried by law and medicine,” The Center for Public Integrity, in partnership with ABC News.
This team showed how a true collaboration between media partners can break significant new ground on an already well-reported story, in this case the destructiveness of coal mining and the “black lung” that miners have suffered from for many decades. In their yearlong investigation, CPI’s Chris Hamby and ABC’s Matthew Mosk and Brian Ross examined how big-name doctors and lawyers, working at the behest of the coal industry, have helped defeat the benefits claims of miners sick and dying of black lung. And they showed how this was occurring even as disease rates are on the rise and an increasing number of miners are turning to a system that was supposed to help them.

Honorable Mention:
The Seattle Times and reporter Craig Welch and photographer Steve Ringman.
This pair spent months, traveling from Alaska in the North Pacific to Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific to detail what is at stake as ocean chemistry changes. They examined hundreds of peer-reviewed studies, interviewed 150 people around the world and even learned to deep-sea dive to document how the world’s oceans are essentially being poisoned, and the risks that poses to marine sea life and the entire global eco-system.

Judges for the Aldo Beckman:
Ellen Shearer, Medill News Service in DC
Frank Sesno, School of Media and Public Affairs, The George Washington University
Indira Somani, Assistant Professor, Howard University

Judges for the Merriman Smith:
Steve Crane, Cronkite News Service, Arizona State University in DC
Amos Gelb, Medill News Service, Northwestern in DC
Barbara Cochran, University of Missouri in DC

Judges for the Edgar A. Poe:
Tom Diemer, Medill News Service, Washington, DC
A’Lelia Bundles, Foundation for the National Archives, DC
Josh Meyer, Medill News Service, Northwestern, DC
Amy Eisman, American University, DC

White House Correspondents’ Association Announces 2014 Awards

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is presenting three major journalism awards at the annual dinner on May 3, 2014 to recognize distinguished reporting.  The awards are among the most prestigious in our field.  Prizes range from $1,000 to $2,500.

You are encouraged to review your 2013 reporting and consider entering the competition.  The three contests are open to print and broadcast journalists.

The WHCA board has enlisted the Medill School of Journalism and Ellen Shearer, co-director of the Medill News Service here in Washington, D.C., to help coordinate the judging of the three contests.

The Merriman Smith Award ($2,500) recognizes presidential news coverage under deadline pressure, with separate awards for print and broadcast journalists. Broadcast tapes (DVD) also may be submitted with scripts.

The Aldo Beckman ($1,000) recognizes repeated excellence in White House coverage, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist.  Entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, photocopies or broadcast scripts.  Online entries must be original Web content. Broadcast tapes (DVD) also may be submitted with scripts.

The Edgar A. Poe Award ($2,500) recognizes excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance, with a single award for either a print or broadcast journalist.  Entries may be in the form of clippings, original material, wire copy printouts, photocopies or online entries.  Broadcast tapes (DVD) also may be submitted.  Online entries must be original Web content.

The deadline for entries is March 5, 2014.

If you have any questions, please contact: Ellen Shearer of Medill News Service, Chair of the WHCA Awards Committee, at 202-661-0102 or E-mail: shearer@northwestern.edu or Julia Whiston of the WHCA at 202-266-7453 or or E-mail via this contact form.

We will send members a separate mailing later to provide details about the upcoming dinner.