Center for Integrity in News Reporting announces winners of 2nd Annual Awards

Rufus Friday, executive director of The Center for Integrity in News Reporting

Washington, D.C. – The Center for Integrity in News Reporting (CFINR) proudly announced the winners and finalists of its 2nd Annual Awards for Excellence in Impartial, Objective and Fair News Reporting, honoring outstanding reporters across broadcast, cable, digital, print and White House Correspondents’ Association reporting platforms.

The awards were presented at a dinner ceremony on May 6 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night.

Professor Jonathan Turley from George Washington University, a distinguished scholar, who has worked as a legal analyst over the last three decades for CBS, NBC, BBC and Fox, as well as an award-winning columnist for national newspapers, was the keynote speaker. He is also the author of the best-selling “The Indispensable Right” on the history and meaning of free speech.

Professor Jonathan Turley, a prominent legal scholar with more than 30 academic articles published, was the keynote speaker for the 2025 CFINR awards ceremony.

“Our honorees demonstrate that impartial, objective and fair reporting is not only possible — it is thriving,” said Rufus Friday, executive director of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting. “In an era of deep public skepticism, these journalists showed courage, clarity and commitment to the highest ideals of impartial and objective news reporting in journalism.”

This year's winners and finalists are:

BROADCAST TV REPORTING

Winner:
Cox Media Group and KFF/Kaiser Family Foundation Health News

• “Social Security’s Secret”
• Jodie Fleischer, Josh Wade and David Hilzenrath

Finalists:

• CBS Evening News — “Eye on America: The 2024 Campaign”

• Arden Farhi, Major Garrett

• WCMH NBC4 — “On the Dark Web: Uncovering the City Hack”

• Isabel Cleary, Mark Feuerborn

Walter E. Hussman Jr., a member of the board of trustees of The Center for Integrity in News Reporting, is chairman of WEHCO Media, Inc., which operates 11 daily newspapers and cable television companies across six states.

CABLE TV REPORTING

Winner:
CNN

• “NC GOP Nominee’s Porn Forum Posts”
• Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck

DIGITAL MEDIA

Winner:
NBC and Noticias Telemundo

• “Dealing the Dead”
• Mike Hixenbaugh, Jon Schuppe, Anagilmara Vílche, Tyler Kingkade, Liz Kreutz and Susan Carroll

Finalists:

• Mountain Home Observer — “$400K Paid to MH Chamber Raises Scrutiny”

• Chris Fulton, Alison Fulton

• The Guardian US — “Unlimited Dollars: Hospital Chain Price Surge”
• George Joseph, Will Craft, Jessica Glenza

Cleo Krejci, who covers workforce development, job training and post-K-12 pathways for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel through Report for America, was presented the Print Reporting Award from Rufus Friday (left) and Jonathan Turley (center).

PRINT REPORTING

Winner:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

• “The Gray Zone”
• Cleo Krejci

Finalists:

• The Villages Daily Sun — “Florida’s Road Crisis: Inside 800 Lives Lost”

• Bonita Miyagi, Curt Hills

• The New York Times — “The Toxic Threat to Our Food”

• Hiroko Tabuchi

Dean Ridings, CEO of America's Newspapers, speaks with Mark Lane of WEHCO Media prior to the awards dinner.

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION (WHCA) AWARD

Winner:
BBC News

• “The Israeli Gaza Briefings”
• Anthony Zurcher

Finalists:

• The Associated Press — “Shots Fired: Butler, PA”

• Evan Vucci, Gene Puskar

• The Washington Post — “The Collapse of Biden's Reelection Bid”
• Tyler Pager, Michael Scherer

First Amendment attorney John Bussian speaks with Rufus Friday of The Center for Integrity in News Reporting.

The judging for these awards is done by the Newspaper Association Managers, an organization that represents managers of state press associations. This year’s judges were the state press association managers from New York: Michella Rea; Minnesota: Lisa Hills; Utah: Brian Allfrey; Kansas: Emily Bradbury; Mississippi: Lane Bruce; and Arkansas: Ashley Kemp Wimberley

“These journalists are proof that the public's right to accurate, impartial reporting remains alive,” Friday added. “By upholding truth, fairness and clarity, they help restore trust in an essential institution of democracy — a free and independent press.”

The CFINR Awards celebrate work published or broadcast in 2024 that embodies impartiality, objectivity, factual accuracy and editorial independence. Each winner receives a $25,000 award, reinforcing the Center’s mission to promote less bias in news reporting and rebuild public trust in the media.

For more information, visit www.cfinr.org.

Contact: Rufus Friday
rfriday@cfinr.org
859-533-3900