Winners of 2024 Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting Announced by Newhouse School

The Washington Post won the 2024 Toner Prize for national political reporting for a series of stories that probed the impact of ideological disagreements on a thriving Michigan county.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage of the city’s mayoral election earned the 2024 Toner Prize for local political reporting.

The winners of the annual Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting were announced by Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications during a ceremony Monday night in Washington, D.C. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper delivered the keynote address.

THE CITY, an independent nonprofit newsroom that covers New York City, took an honorable mention for local political reporting.

Finalists for each category were announced earlier this month.

The judges were:

• Christina Bellantoni, professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and former assistant managing editor and political reporter at the Los Angeles Times
• Ann Compton, Emmy Award-winning retired reporter for ABC News and the first woman to cover the White House for network television
• Devin Dwyer, ABC News’ senior Washington reporter who leads network coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court
• Beverly Kirk, director of Washington Programs at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and professor of practice of broadcast and digital journalism, and former journalist at NBC, NPR, PBS and other news organizations
• Rick Rodriguez, professor of the Southwest Borderlands Initiative at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, and former executive editor and senior vice president of The Sacramento Bee
• Maralee Schwartz, retired political editor of The Washington Post
• Joseph B. Treaster, professor at the University of Miami School of Communication, a former correspondent at The New York Times and a contributor to the Times and other publications

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Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting

Winner: The Washington Post
Reporters: Greg Jaffe and Patrick Marley
Entry: “Ottawa County”

• “In a thriving Michigan county, a community goes to war with itself”
• “A sex educator in Michigan refused to be shamed. Then came the backlash.”
• “The pandemic has faded in this Michigan county. The mistrust never ended.”
• “Can the exhausted, angry people of Ottawa County learn to live together?”

Judges’ Comments

“This is a superb example of a microscopic examination of a growing national infection and its lessons to the nation as the drama unfolded. It fits the Toner criteria as ‘fact-based reporting; illuminates the electoral process, with a special focus on coverage of candidates, campaigns or elections … [and] reveals the politics of policy.’” – Compton

“Very strong look at changes in a small Michigan county with lots of Americans who seem very disappointed by the way their lives and the place they live [have] been going.” – Treaster

“This also was an incredibly well-done project. The narrative style was truly exceptional and in order to [do] that you need to do exceptional reporting. If I could give another [five] to this entry, I would.” – Rodriguez

Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting

Winner: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Reporters: Anna Orso, Sean Walsh, Julia Terruso, Aseem Shukla and Layla Jones
Entry: “The race for Philadelphia’s 100th mayor”

• “Philly’s next mayor will inherit an unprecedented gun violence crisis. Here’s how it’s defining the race.”
• “Philly neighborhoods fall into six segregated groups of Democrats”
• “Cherelle Parker is proud of her West Oak Lane roots. As mayor, could she save Philly’s ‘middle neighborhoods’?”
• “How Cherelle Parker won the primary: Black voters, a boost from labor, and a personal story of Philly grit”

Judges’ Comments

“This is the whole package—a richly reported political series, giving readers a thorough look at the choices for mayor. … The issues are there, the city’s voting demographics, the voices of voters and officials, and profiles of the candidates. And, so importantly, explained to the readers why Parker won. Very well done.” – Schwartz

“The best part of this series of stories is the voter data piece that breaks down the city’s demographics. It provides a roadmap of how Philly residents vote and adds critical context to all of the stories in the series. Very compelling, and very well done.” – Kirk

Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting Honorable Mention

THE CITY
Reporters: George Joseph, Bianca Pallaro, Haidee Chu, Tom Robbins, Yoav Gonen, April Xu (Documented) and Katie Honan
Entry: “Straw Donors, Ethics Violations Plague Eric Adams Campaign Fundraising Efforts”

• “New Questions Arise Over Adams Donors: One Says She Was Reimbursed, Others Say They Never Gave”
• “Adams Campaign Repeatedly Ignored Regulators’ Demands to Identify Supporters Behind $300,000 in Contributions”
• “Mayor’s Asian Affairs Liaison Raised Big Money—and Big Questions About Her Conduct”
• “Department of Investigation Opens Inquiry into a Key Adams Aide, Winnie Greco”

Judges’ Comments

“Dogged work connecting the dots and exposing the potential breadth of a problem a federal indictment first put into focus. Illumination of how [a] public matching funds program may now be abused and exploited, raising the stakes for candidates, their campaigns and the electoral process.” – Dwyer

“Wow. This is insane. Each of the stories breaks new ground and is vividly written. The reporting is detailed, with each major claim backed up. It also has a clear impact on the city.” – Bellantoni

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About the Toner Prizes

Established in 2009, the Toner Prizes recognize and reinforce quality, fact-based political reporting—work that illuminates the electoral process, reveals the politics of policy and engages the public in democracy. The awards, along with the Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School, are named after Robin Toner ’76, the first woman to serve as national political correspondent of The New York Times.