Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting

Last updated
The Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting
Formation2009
PurposeCreated to celebrate the life and work of Syracuse University alumna Robin Toner, the late political correspondent for The New York Times
Main organ
Syracuse University
Website tonerprogram.syr.edu

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.

Contents

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:

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

YearRecipientNews Organization(s)Description of Entry
2011Craig 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 Postfor a series of political profiles that illuminated the partisan divide in Washington. [7] [8] [9]
2016Alec MacGillis ProPublica for a collection of stories on issues in politics and governance. [10]
2017 David Fahrenthold The Washington Postfor “A Portrait of Donald Trump,” a series of articles highlighting his yearlong reporting on Trump. [11]
2018Team from The Washington PostThe Washington Postfor its coverage of candidate Roy Moore and the 2017 Alabama Senate race, which uncovered a pattern of sexual misconduct by Moore. [12] [13]
2019Jason Zengerle The New York Times Magazine , GQ for his reporting on the effects of Trump presidency on the House Intelligence Committee. [14]
2020Team 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]
2021David A. GrahamThe Atlanticfor 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.

Toner Prize Celebration speakers

YearFormatSpeaker(s)
2009Panel Gwen Ifill (PBS), Richard Berke ( The New York Times ), Dan Balz ( The Washington Post ), Jackie Calmes ( The New York Times ), Beth Frerking ( Politico ), and Adam Nagourney ( The New York Times ) [20]
2011ConversationMarilyn Werber Serafini (Kaiser Health News)
2012Panel Jane Mayer ( The New Yorker ), Peggy Simpson ( Women’s Media Center ), Lynette Clemetson ( NPR ),

and Kristin Carlson (WCAX-TV) [20]

2013Keynote Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services [21]
2014Keynote Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States [22]
2015Keynote Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State [8] [9]
2016Keynote Barack Obama, President of the United States [23] [24]
2017Keynote John Kasich, Governor of Ohio [25]
2018Keynote Mark Warner, U.S. Senator from Virginia [12]
2019Keynote Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland [26]
2020-No ceremony due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021Keynote Cory Booker, U.S. Senator from New Jersey [27]
2022Keynote Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives [28]
2023Keynote Mitt Romney, U.S. Senator from Utah [29]

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References

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