CFINR Announces 2026 National Award Winners and Finalists, Awards over $150,000 in Prizes to Journalists

David Sommers

Six $25,000 prizes awarded across broadcast, cable television, digital, investigative, print, and White House Correspondents' Association reporting; New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman delivers keynote at Washington gala; awards to be renamed the Benjamin Franklin Prize for Impartial, Objective News Reporting in 2027

May 19, 2026 — The 2026 winners and finalists of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s national journalism awards represent the work of independent local newsrooms, national news organizations, and accountability-focused nonprofits. Each of the six $25,000 prizes for winners and additional cash prizes for finalists recognizes news reporting that exemplifies the Center’s advocacy standards: impartial, objective, and fair.


This year’s awards drew 397 entries from journalists and news organizations in at least 35 states, a 213 percent increase over last year and a 289 percent increase over the program’s first year. Entries were judged by a panel of eight executives from state press associations under the supervision of the Newspaper Managers Association.


"These journalists demonstrate that impartial and objective news reporting is not only possible — it is being practiced every day, in newsrooms large and small, across the country," said Rufus Friday, executive director of CFINR. "The growth in submissions tells us something important: there is a deep and broad commitment within the profession to the values that earn public trust. Tonight we honored the very best of that work."


The $25,000 Broadcast Television Reporting award goes to the staff of KXAN Investigates in Austin for “Undocumented: Texas’ Immigration Impact in a New Trump Era,” a 100-day, multi-platform examination of immigration enforcement and its ripple effects across the state.


The $25,000 Cable Television Reporting award goes to Melissa Lee, Scott Zamost, Paige Tortorelli, and David Lettieri of CNBC for “RiskyRX,” a 10-month investigation of the alternative funding programs reshaping how cash-strapped employers buy prescription drugs.


The $25,000 Digital Reporting award goes to Alexander Shur of Votebeat for “Missing Madison Ballots,” an investigative series that traced 193 absentee ballots that were never counted in Madison, Wisconsin, and the procedural failures that led to the error.


The $25,000 Investigative Reporting award — a new category this year — goes to the staff of the Los Angeles Times for “LA Firestorms: Uncovering How the Government Failed the Public,” a sustained investigation into the public-sector response to the January 2025 Los Angeles firestorms.


The $25,000 Print Reporting award goes to Grant Gerstner of The Oldham Era, a small Kentucky weekly, for his coverage of a contested data center development — a sterling example, judges said, of straight-down-the-line community reporting on a divisive local issue.


The $25,000 White House Correspondents’ Association Reporting award goes to Tyler Pager of The New York Times for “Inside Trump’s Second Term,” a series of deeply sourced stories from across the second Trump administration.


In addition, finalists in each category are recognized for work that met the same standard. The full list of winners and finalists, along with summaries of each entry, follows below. The awards were presented at a dinner ceremony at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2026, where New York Times foreign affairs columnist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman delivered the keynote address.


In his remarks, Friedman, now in his 45th year at The New York Times, spoke about the meaning of objectivity in journalism — a theme that runs through the work the Center recognizes each year.


“Objectivity, the state of mind supposedly free from bias and favoritism that we prize rightfully so highly in journalism, surely cannot rest on your biography. Objectivity must rest on how you commit to covering a story and the independence you manifest in [what] you report, and what you write,” said Friedman in his keynote address. 


Broadcast Television Reporting


Winner: “Undocumented: Texas’ Immigration Impact in a New Trump Era”


KXAN Investigates Staff — KXAN, Austin

As Texas emerged as a frontline of federal immigration enforcement in the early months of the second Trump administration, KXAN spent the first 100 days of the new term producing Undocumented, a multi-platform investigation of how aggressive enforcement and Governor Greg Abbott’s executive orders directing state agencies to cooperate with federal authorities were reshaping daily life in the state.


The project examined ripple effects across the Texas economy, schools, healthcare systems, courts, and public safety services. KXAN crowdsourced information through an anonymous tip line, gathered insights from the public, and reported from across the state — including a Spanish-language edition produced for the audiences most directly affected, and a documentary-length video presentation.


The reporting team comprised Josh Hinkle, David Barer, Dalton Huey, Christopher Adams, Kelly Wiley, Matt Grant, Arezow Doost, Avery Travis, Richie Bowes, Chris Nelson, Jordan Belt, Robert Sims, Sandra Sanchez, Grace Reader, Dylan McKim, and Adam Schwager. The work made room for the perspectives of immigrants, employers, law enforcement, advocates, and elected officials — a notable achievement on a story where reporting from any single vantage point alone would have left the picture incomplete.


“KXAN’s Undocumented project delivered a deep dive into the real-life impact of immigration policies and proposals for the parties involved. The reporting was rigorous, multi-platform, and made room for sources across the spectrum.”

— Judges’ comments


Finalists


NBC News in partnership with Stanford University — “The Vaccine Divide,” an examination of the deepening fault lines in American attitudes toward vaccination, led by Jason Kane. Reporting team: Aria Bendix, Abby Brooks, Valerie Castro, Nigel Chiwaya, Lauren Dunn, Erika Edwards, Mustafa Fattah, Alex Ford, Stephanie Gosk, Jason Kane, Marina Kopf, Nathan Lo, Berkley Lovelace Jr., Patrick Martin, Joe Murphy, Tom Namako, Justine Orgel, Charlie Reimann, Eric Salzman, Jocelyn Shek, Lauren Stoffel, Anne Thompson, Jane Weaver, and Jiachuan Wu.


Phil Williams and Bryan Staples, WTVF-TV NewsChannel 5, Nashville — “Confronting Hate,” reporting on hate-group activity and community responses in Tennessee.

Cable Television Reporting


Winner: “Risky RX”


Melissa Lee, Scott Zamost, Paige Tortorelli, and David Lettieri — CNBC

Over 10 months of reporting, the CNBC investigations team documented the rapid growth of so-called alternative funding programs — companies that promise dramatic prescription drug savings to cash-strapped employers, including municipalities, school districts, retirement plans, unions, and small businesses. Patients enrolled through these programs are told they can receive medications at little or no cost. What CNBC found was a supply chain that often runs through unverified, overseas suppliers operating outside the FDA-regulated system.


The investigation included a broadcast investigation for CNBC and a detailed CNBC.com investigative report. CNBC interviewed patients receiving medications through AFPs, officials at the Department of Homeland Security, multiple federal agencies, and an alternative funding company itself — a sourcing approach that gave the audience a fact-based picture of a fast-growing piece of the U.S. drug supply chain that had drawn limited scrutiny.


“RiskyRX was a solid and balanced series. The reporter did a thorough job of interviewing patients, Homeland Security, several federal agencies, and even an AFP itself to make sure she covered all sides of the story with a fair representation of facts about a serious issue for low-income patients and employers.”

— Judges’ comments


Finalist


Mark Meredith, Fox News — “Thanksgiving Tragedy — DC Soldiers Ambushed,” reporting on the Thanksgiving-period attack on members of the U.S. military in Washington, D.C., and the public response that followed.


Digital Reporting


Winner: “Missing Madison Ballots: A Votebeat Investigative Series”


Alexander Shur — Votebeat

In an investigation of 193 absentee ballots in Madison, Wisconsin, that were never counted in the November 2024 election, Alexander Shur of Votebeat exposed systemic failures in oversight, tracking, and transparency at the office of one of the state’s most prominent municipal election clerks.


Shur’s reporting documented the procedural breakdowns that allowed the ballots to go uncounted — and tracked how the office responded as the story developed, including the “cookie extravaganza” the clerk hosted for staff while the controversy was still unfolding. The reporting led to the clerk being placed on leave and was a key factor in the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s order requiring Madison election officials to follow specific procedures to prevent recurrence.


The series drew on official records, statutory analysis, and on-the-record interviews. Shur consistently distinguished verified facts from interpretation — a discipline judges noted was central to the work’s effectiveness on a subject where partisan framing often dominates the conversation.


“Shur’s reporting is clear, well-sourced, and easy to follow. It takes on an important issue and walks the reader through what happened in a way that makes sense, without overcomplicating it. Shur relied on official records, statutory analysis, and on-the-record interviews, consistently distinguishing verified facts from interpretation and bringing accountability into focus without trying to force a conclusion.”

— Judges’ comments


Finalists


Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light — “City Awards ARPA Grants Despite Stark Warnings,” documenting the city’s award of grants despite high-risk warnings, the city’s withholding of related public records, and the New Bedford Light’s lawsuit to compel release.


Hearst Television — “Breaking Point: America’s Infrastructure at Risk,” a national investigation of bridge and road infrastructure produced by Hearst Television’s Investigative and Data teams, with localized reporting across the company’s stations including WISN Milwaukee, KSBW Salinas/Monterey, WMUR New Hampshire, WESH Orlando, and KCRA Sacramento. Reporting team: Reid Bolton, Nicki Camberg, John Cardinale, Annie Jennemann, Kelly Kosuda, Damali Ramirez, Katrina Ventura, and Susie Webb.


Investigative Reporting


Winner: “LA Firestorms: Uncovering How the Government Failed the Public”


Los Angeles Times Staff — Los Angeles Times

In the days following the January 2025 Los Angeles firestorms, the Los Angeles Times mobilized a newsroom-wide effort to document what happened — and to scrutinize how the public-sector response measured against the demands of the moment. The reporting unfolded across two parallel tracks: urgent service journalism for residents in the path of the fires, and sustained investigative work to establish the factual record of institutional performance.


Reporters drew on firsthand observation, dispatch logs, public records requests, witness accounts, radio traffic, and independent soil testing to reconstruct decisions and timelines. The result was a body of work that informed displaced residents in real time while building, over weeks and months, a documented account of how governments at multiple levels prepared for, responded to, and recovered from the disaster.


Among the investigation’s key findings: that the Los Angeles Fire Department chose not to assign roughly 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of water-carrying engines for emergency deployment despite hurricane-force wind warnings, a decision that played a significant role in the ouster of the LAFD chief; that all 17 confirmed deaths in the Eaton fire occurred in areas of western Altadena that received emergency evacuation orders many hours after the fire started; a minute-by-minute reconstruction of the chaotic evacuation from Pacific Palisades, where decades of warnings about inadequate escape routes proved prophetic; and an independent Times-led soil-testing effort that found hazardous heavy metals on properties FEMA had declined to retest, prompting the EPA to reverse course nearly a year after the fires.


The reporting team comprised Tony Briscoe, Terry Castleman, Rebecca Ellis, Nathan Fenno, Sean Greene, Melody Gutierrez, Noah Haggerty, Ian James, Melody Petersen, Paul Pringle, Dakota Smith, Hayley Smith, Paige St. John, and Alene Tchekmedyian.


“In a rapidly evolving crisis, the newsroom combined urgent service journalism with sustained investigative work, drawing on firsthand reporting, dispatch logs, public records, witness accounts, radio traffic, and independent soil testing. The resulting coverage was a comprehensive, balanced effort to establish the facts, document institutional performance, and ensure that the experiences of affected residents were fully represented. Through rigorous documentation, broad sourcing, careful verification, and clear explanations of complex public issues, these journalists demonstrated how fair, evidence-driven reporting serves the public interest.”

— Judges’ comments


Finalists


The New York Times — “Our Broken Organ Transplant System,” a Times investigation that documented systemic failures in the U.S. organ transplant system. Reporting team: Grace Ashford, Robert Gebeloff, Mark Hansen, Danielle Ivory, Brian M. Rosenthal, Julie Tate, and Jeremy White.


Arthur Kane, The Center Square — “Congressional Perks,” an investigation of benefits and privileges available to members of Congress.



Print Reporting


Winner: “Data center promises and withdrawals in Oldham County”


Grant Gerstner — The Oldham Era (Kentucky)


Investment in data centers has become a defining issue for communities across the country. While they are often pitched as major economic development projects — bringing capital expenditure, tax base, and a small number of high-skill jobs — they can be deeply divisive at the local level, with residents raising concerns about everything from electricity rates and water use to noise pollution and the long-term value of the land.


Grant Gerstner of The Oldham Era, a small Kentucky weekly, covered a data center project in the county from its earliest stages — through site selection, public hearings, withdrawals, and the community conversation that ran alongside. He gave voice to all the major stakeholders: developers, county officials, neighbors who supported the project on economic grounds, and neighbors who opposed it on environmental or quality-of-life grounds. He let the record speak. The judges singled out the work for what is often hardest in small-market reporting: covering a contested local issue from start to finish without taking a side, and trusting the reader to understand the trade-offs.


“Gerstner’s coverage of a data center project in a small Kentucky town is a sterling example of coverage that is impartial and objective about its subject. The reporter plays this issue straight down the line, covering the project from its beginning and giving a voice to all major stakeholders. When read in total, one understands both sides of the argument, and that is reporting with integrity at its best.”

— Judges’ comments


Finalists


Tony Bartelme, The Post and Courier — “41 Seconds,” a reconstruction of a 41-second window with significant public consequences in South Carolina.


The Times-Picayune and The Advocate — “Bourbon Street Terror Attack,” coverage of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans and its aftermath. Reporting team: Ben Myers, Blake Paterson, John Simerman, Josie Abugov, Mike Smith, Sam Karlin, Stephanie Riegel, and Jeff Adelson.



White House Correspondents’ Association Reporting


Winner: “Inside Trump’s Second Term”


Tyler Pager — The New York Times

Tyler Pager’s coverage of the first year of President Trump’s second term spans the breadth of the modern White House beat: campaign donors and dark money, foreign policy crises, Justice Department restructuring, energy policy, and the internal deliberations behind major decisions on national security.


Among his year’s reporting: a story revealing that financier Timothy Mellon donated $130 million to help pay U.S. troops during a budget standoff; a behind-the-scenes account of the February 28 Oval Office confrontation between Presidents Trump and Zelensky that shifted U.S.-Ukraine relations; an examination of the administration’s internal Justice Department compensation decisions; reporting on the deteriorating U.S.-India relationship; and an inside account of the administration’s internal deliberations on potential strikes against Venezuela.


The reporting consistently relies on multiple, named, and on-background sources, distinguishes confirmed fact from interpretation, and explains complex national security and policy issues in accessible terms.


“This is elite White House reporting. These stories consistently take readers inside the most important decisions of the presidency and explain clearly what’s actually happening. The reporting is deeply sourced, fair, and disciplined, with a real commitment to getting it right. Pager simplifies complex topics, producing clear, organized reporting that informs and engages. He is a shining example of integrity in news reporting — this is exactly the kind of work this award is meant to recognize.”

— Judges’ comments


Finalists


Katherine Faulders, ABC News — “Exclusives on President Trump’s Second Term,” including reporting on the administration’s consideration of a Qatari aircraft gift and the return to U.S. custody of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after a mistaken deportation.


Mary Bruce and Rachel Scott, ABC News — “Holding Power to Account,” sustained accountability reporting from the briefing room and beyond.


The Judges


Judging for the 2026 awards was conducted under the supervision of members of the Newspaper Managers Association, the national organization of the 50 state press associations. Eight executives were selected to judge:


Brian Allfrey, Executive Director, Utah Press Association


Emily Bradbury, Executive Director, Kansas Press Association


Layne Bruce, Executive Director, Mississippi Press Association


William Cotter, President and CEO, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association


Lisa Hills, Executive Director, Minnesota Newspaper Association


Michelle Rea, Executive Director, New York Press Association


Tim Regan-Porter, Chief Executive Officer, Colorado Press Association


Ashley Kemp Wimberley, Executive Director, Arkansas Press Association


The judging criterion was straightforward: the best examples of impartial, objective, and fair news reporting in America. 


About CFINR and the Awards Program


The Center for Integrity in News Reporting is a nonprofit organization founded by media executive and newspaper publisher Walter E. Hussman Jr. to address a measurable national problem: the public’s loss of trust in news reporting. According to Gallup, American trust in mass media has declined from approximately 70 percent in the 1970s to 28 percent in 2025. Thirty-four percent of Americans now report no trust in mass media at all.


The annual awards contest is journalist-driven and accessible. There are no entry fees and no nomination process. Beginning in 2027, the program will be renamed the Benjamin Franklin Prize for Impartial, Objective News Reporting.


CFINR is governed by a board of trustees: Bret Baier, Wesley Clark, Eliza Gaines, Walter E. Hussman Jr., Mary Kissel, and Charles Overby. Rufus Friday, former president and publisher of the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky, serves as executive director of CFINR. Learn more at www.cfinr.org.

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CFINR Executive Director Makes Case for Objectivity at National Journalism Trust Conference

By David Sommers • April 20, 2026
OXFORD, Miss. — Rufus Friday, executive director of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting, delivered a 45-minute address April 17 at the University of Mississippi calling on journalists, news organizations and journalism students to publicly commit to core journalistic values as the foundation for rebuilding public trust in the American press. Friday spoke before an audience of approximately 100 journalists, academics, civic leaders and students at the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation's national symposium, "How the News Media Can Regain Public Trust," held on the Oxford campus. Walter E. Hussman Jr., the retired publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and WEHCO Media, and founder of CFINR, attended the event in person and participated in the question-and-answer session that followed Friday's 45-minute address. The symposium brought together a range of national voices on the press trust crisis, including Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media analyst; Kathy Kiely, a veteran journalist and press freedom fellow; Vivian Walker, a practitioner in residence at Georgetown University; former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger; former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III; and Ellen McCarthy, chairwoman and CEO of the Truth in Media Cooperative. The event was hosted by the Jordan Center and sponsored in part by CFINR. Friday’s address anchored its argument in polling data, citing Gallup's September 2025 survey showing that only 28 percent of Americans now express a great deal or fair amount of trust in the news media, down from 72 percent in 1976. He noted that for the first time since the annual poll began, complete distrust of the media, at 36 percent, outweighs any level of trust. "For the first time in the recorded history of this poll, complete distrust outweighs any trust," Friday said. "And it's worse here than anywhere else." He pointed to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's survey of 92,000 people across 46 countries, which ranked the United States last in media trust at 29 percent, and to a June 2025 Pew Research Center survey showing that trust in major national outlets breaks almost perfectly along partisan lines, with 58 percent of Democrats trusting CNN and 58 percent of Republicans distrusting it, and 56 percent of Republicans trusting Fox News while 64 percent of Democrats distrust it. "We have a mirror problem," Friday said. "Both sides see exactly the bias they expect to see, in exactly the outlets they already distrust." Friday identified four causes for the decline: the nature of bias perception and the algorithmic amplification of confirming content; the rise of 24-hour cable news and social media; shifts in journalism education and hiring practices; and what he described as a debate inside journalism education itself over the value of objectivity. He addressed that last point at length, acknowledging that some frustrations driving that debate were legitimate. False balance, inadequate coverage of underrepresented communities and the use of objectivity as a shield against difficult reporting were real failures, he said. But he argued those failures were reasons to live up to the standard, not abandon it. "The profession doesn't need to abandon the standard," Friday said. "It needs to live up to it." Friday devoted a portion of his remarks to the origin of CFINR and to Hussman, who was in the audience. He recounted how Hussman, watching a CNN promotional spot in 2017, heard a prominent anchor say she did not believe in the "false equivalency" of giving both sides of a story. Hussman responded by drafting a statement of journalistic values and running it consistently across all WEHCO Media newspapers. The largest share of the address was devoted to what Friday called CFINR's single most important programmatic priority: persuading news organizations to adopt and publicly display a statement of core journalistic values. He cited the Bangor Daily News as one example of a news organization that has done so, and described a mural unveiled at the Stars and Stripes news facility at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, the largest U.S. military installation overseas, bearing five words: Credibility. Impartiality. Truth-telling. Balance. Accountability. Friday serves as chair of the Stars and Stripes National Publisher Advisory Board. On CFINR's national awards program, Friday reported that entries to the organization's annual journalism competition have grown from 102 in the program's first year to 127 the following year to 397 in 2025, a 213 percent increase in a single year. The national prizes carry a cash award of $25,000 per category, more than the Pulitzer Prize. CFINR has also expanded its state-level awards program. A three-year, $210,000 grant from the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation funds $5,000 prizes across 14 southeastern states. A separate Stanton Foundation gift of $90,000 covers six New England states, and a recent additional gift adds Ohio, bringing the total to 21 states and $315,000 in grant funding. CFINR also works with 23 journalism school partners through an initiative which brings award-winning journalists into classrooms at schools including Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, USC's Annenberg School, and the University of Missouri, with more college and university partners constantly being added. Friday closed by speaking directly to the journalism students in the room, telling them the public had not given up on good journalism — only on what it perceived journalism had become. "Never compromise," he said. "Cover your community through objectivity and impartiality. It takes time to rebuild trust. One headline at a time. One correction at a time, done quickly and with humility. One fair story at a time." The symposium also featured a keynote luncheon address and fireside chat with Kinzinger; a session on investigative sports journalism with journalist Graeme Joffe; a panel on community versus audience in local journalism featuring Andre Natta of the Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism, Louisiana Illuminator staff writer Wes Muller and Sarah Gamard of the Center for Community News; and a closing session on the international perspective with Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA. The event concluded with the introduction of the 2026 Oxford Declaration on Journalistic Integrity and Public Trust, a framework developed collaboratively by symposium participants addressing transparency, algorithmic accountability, independence, attribution standards and the separation of news from opinion and commentary. David A. Sommers is the consulting communications director for the Center for Integrity in News Reporting.

COLUMN: In Austin, trust in local news was more than a talking point

By David Sommers • April 19, 2026
CFINR consulting communications director David A. Sommers addresses the "Trust and Audience Loyalty" panel at the America's Newspapers Mega-Conference in Austin, joined by Southern Newspapers executive editor Chris Lykins (center) and The Facts publisher Yvonne Mintz. AUSTIN — The America's Newspapers Mega-Conference draws publishers, editors and industry leaders from across the country, and this year it landed at a moment when the conversation about trust in local journalism is front and center in national discussions. I attended the conference representing the Center for Integrity in News Reporting, participating in a panel on trust and audience loyalty. What I heard from the room confirmed something CFINR has been advocating since its founding: the industry knows the problem, and there are concrete steps news organizations can take to address it with their audiences. The panel was introduced by Leonard Woolsey, president of Southern Newspapers; and panelists also included Yvonne Mintz, vice president of editorial and publisher of The Facts; and Chris Lykins, an editor with Southern Newspapers. Together they represented the kind of long-tenured, community-rooted news leadership that the trust conversation often centers on but rarely features directly. The discussion got substantive fast. One of the most thoughtful exchanges came from the executive director of a state press associations, pushing back on the methodology behind long-running, well-established national media trust surveys. The argument deserves consideration. When pollsters ask the public about "the media," the attendee said, they bundle local community journalism together with cable news and national conglomerates. The resulting trust numbers misrepresent what's actually happening at the local level. That state association's on polling shows trust in local news tracking significantly higher than trust in the media in the abstract. CFINR has cited Gallup's figures extensively — 28% trust nationally is a genuine crisis — but the' point reinforces why local news organizations have both reason for concern and reason for confidence. The problem is real. The opportunity is also real. I used the moment to note that CFINR is developing its own research to better capture that distinction, without getting into specifics. That landed with the room. The broader conference reflected what CFINR has been saying to press associations from Kentucky to Minnesota: this industry is not in retreat on the trust question. Dean Ridings, CEO of America's Newspapers, captured it well in his post-conference reflection, writing that while AI dominated many sessions, the enduring message was that "meaningful, trusted content matters. In a fractured media environment, it is a real advantage and one of the clearest ways local newspapers stand apart." That thoughtful sentiment aligned directly with what our panel explored. Trust is not a marketing message. It's foundational and essential, built through daily editorial decisions, impartiality and objectivity, institutional transparency and a willingness to state clearly what a newsroom stands for. That is precisely the work CFINR supports, helping news organizations develop and publish statements of core journalistic values, recognizing impartial reporting through national awards, and bringing that case directly to industry gatherings like Mega. The room at our session was at capacity, with roughly 75 people in attendance and strong questions that pushed the conversation past its scheduled time. That appetite reflects where the industry is. Publishers and editors are not avoiding the trust question. They are looking for frameworks, examples and reinforcement. CFINR's national awards program, which will present six prizes of $25,000 each at a gala in Washington, D.C., on May 19, is one tangible signal of that commitment. The awards recognize the kind of objective, impartial reporting that earns public confidence. Mega was a reminder that the work CFINR is doing connects with what journalists and organizational leaders are seeing in newsrooms across the country. The conversation in Austin will continue in newsrooms nationwide, and in the ongoing effort to make trust something the industry earns back, one decision at a time. David A. Sommers is the consulting communications director for the Center for Integrity in News Reporting.

CFINR National Journalism Awards entries draw record growth in third year

March 8, 2026
By David Sommers Center for Integrity in News Reporting March 5, 2026 —The Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s (CFINR) National Journalism Awards attracted a record level of interest in their third year, with submitted entries up 213% from last year and up 289% from the program’s first year. Submissions in the 2025 annual awards cycle came from journalists and news organizations in at least 35 states, reflecting a broader national footprint for awards that recognize objective and impartial news reporting. The field also included entries from numerous national journalism organizations. A new Investigative Reporting award helped drive the increase, drawing nearly 100 entries in the first year of the new category. CFINR added the category to recognize in-depth, fact-based reporting that holds institutions accountable while adhering to impartial and objective newsgathering standards. Judges have begun reviewing submissions and winners will be announced at a national gala in Washington, D.C. , on May 19, 2026. Additional event details will be released in the weeks ahead. Now in their third year, the CFINR awards were created to highlight journalism that prioritizes objective and impartial news reporting, guided by the principle associated with publisher Adolph Ochs: “to give the news impartially, without fear or favor.” For the current awards cycle, CFINR will present six national prizes, each carrying a $25,000 cash award, for a total of $150,000. Categories include Broadcast, Cable, Digital, Investigative Reporting, Print, and reporting by members of the White House Correspondents’ Association. The contest is designed to be accessible and journalist-driven. There are no entry fees and no nomination process. Journalists and editors may submit work directly, and entries are evaluated as impartial and objective news reporting, not opinion, commentary or advocacy. Eligible work for this cycle included reporting published or aired between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025. “The growth in participation signals rising awareness among journalists and news organizations of an awards program focused specifically on objective, impartial news reporting — and a willingness to put that work forward for national recognition consideration,” said CFINR Executive Director Rufus Friday. David Sommers is the consulting communications director for the Center for Integrity in News Reporting

CFINR Takes Case for Objectivity and Trust to Press Associations Nationwide

By David Sommers • February 12, 2026
February 12, 2026 —Leaders of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting (CFINR) have spent the past several months delivering a consistent message to press associations across the country: trust in journalism has eroded, but it can be rebuilt through objectivity, transparency and discipline. Speaking to journalists, publishers and newsroom leaders at the Kentucky Press Association in Louisville, the Minnesota Newspaper Association in Minneapolis, the North Carolina Press Association in Cary, and the national Newspaper Association Managers conference in Washington D.C., CFINR Executive Director Rufus Friday outlined the organization’s growing national footprint and urged newsrooms to recommit to impartial reporting at a time of historic public skepticism. Additional speeches and visits have also included press associations in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. “Journalism still matters,” Friday told attendees at the Kentucky Press Association’s winter convention in January. “And journalism still needs every single one of you.” Across the four appearances, Friday emphasized that declining trust in the media is not anecdotal, but measurable. Citing long-term Gallup polling , he noted that public confidence in the news media has fallen to levels not seen in five decades, with just 28 percent of Americans expressing trust. “Trust in the media in America is at its lowest point in 50 years,” Friday said during his Minnesota address. “This is not just an opinion; it’s a reality backed by data.” Friday told press association leaders that trust has become polarized as well as diminished, with Americans increasingly divided over which outlets they consider credible. In that environment, he argued, objectivity and clarity are not abstract ideals but practical necessities. “In moments of tension, uncertainty and fear,” he said in Minnesota, “clear-headed, impartial reporting is not just a professional ideal. It’s a public service.” At all four stops, Friday framed the Center’s work as a response rooted in action rather than criticism. Founded in 2024, CFINR focuses on recognizing impartial and objective news reporting, strengthening state-level journalism awards, partnering with journalism schools and encouraging news organizations to publicly articulate their core journalistic values. “Our mission is simple, but it is not small,” Friday said in Kentucky. “To restore trust in journalism through fairness, objectivity and transparency.” A central focus of the speeches was the Center’s expanding awards program . CFINR now presents six national awards of $25,000 each for objective reporting across print, broadcast, cable, digital and investigative journalism, along with reporting by members of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Unlike many journalism contests, the awards have no entry fee and allow journalists to submit work directly. “These awards send one simple message,” Friday said. “Objective journalism still matters and we go all out in recognizing and rewarding these journalists for it.” The organization is also expanding state-level awards through partnerships with press associations. With support from the Southern Newspaper Publisher’s Association Foundation and the Stanton Foundation , CFINR will soon offer $5,000 awards for impartial reporting in nearly two dozen states, with the goal of eventually reaching all 50. Friday told national association managers that recognition matters most when it happens close to home. “Trust in media is built locally,” he said. “It is built in city halls, school board meetings and courtrooms.” Another recurring theme was transparency. Friday repeatedly urged news organizations to adopt and prominently display statements of core journalistic values , drawing a clear line between reporting and opinion. “When readers know what you stand for, they stop guessing — and start believing,” he said during the Kentucky luncheon. “Credibility is a newsroom’s greatest asset and impartiality is its strongest source of trust.” Throughout the speeches, Friday emphasized that rebuilding trust will not happen through a single initiative or message, but through sustained, everyday decisions inside newsrooms. “Trust isn’t rebuilt by one speech or one survey,” he said in Washington, D.C.. “It’s rebuilt one decision, one headline, one newsroom policy at a time.” Associations, universities, or organizations interested in inviting a CFINR speaker can contact Rufus Friday at rfriday@cfinr.org .

Opinion: The Biggest Threat to Journalism? Journalists

February 12, 2026
" Don’t blame rapacious owners for the loss of public trust. Blame biased, incompetent reporting. "

Opinion: America Needs Restraint—and Facts

By Published in the Wall Street Journal- Jan. 29, 2026 • February 6, 2026
"We need the facts more quickly, more soberly, in greater depth."

Opinion: Pentagon wants a ‘refocus,’ but Stripes hasn’t wavered from its true mission

January 20, 2026
Opinion: Pentagon wants a ‘refocus,’ but Stripes hasn’t wavered from its true mission

Bangor Daily News Adopts Core Journalistic Values, Reinforcing Trust and Transparency

December 23, 2025
Dec 19, 2025 — Maine’s Bangor Daily News (BDN) has begun publishing a statement of core journalistic values — a move that strengthens the paper’s commitment to transparency and accountability and mirrors the core principles advocated by the Center for Integrity in News Reporting (CFINR). Starting in the Dec 18, 2025 print edition, the publication began including a summary version of its values statement, accompanied by a QR code linking to the full version. The complete statement, available online , details the newsroom’s commitment to truth‑seeking, independent journalism and public accountability. It articulates standards such as objective reporting, independence from political alignment, and transparency when errors occur. In addition to the official values statement, the paper published a bylined column by Bangor Daily News Executive Editor Dan MacLeod explaining the newsroom’s philosophy and purpose. In What BDN journalism stands for, MacLeod emphasizes the newsroom’s commitment to high‑quality reporting that connects Mainers and upholds objectivity and fairness. CFINR Communications Consultant Cassandra Webb worked closely with BDN Director of Development Jo Easton, who championed the values adoption process internally. Webb praised the publication of the values statement as an important milestone. “We’re thrilled to see the Bangor Daily News formally publish its statement of core journalistic values and to know they’ll be prominently accessible both online and in print,” said Webb. “The standalone page, site links, and QR code are exactly the kind of transparency we hope to encourage.” The Bangor Daily News — founded in 1889 and published six days a week — has been owned by the Towle‑Warren family for four generations. Current publisher Richard J. Warren is the great‑grandson of J. Norman Towle, who purchased the paper in 1895. Since 2018, the Bangor Daily News has been the only independently owned daily newspaper in the state of Maine. Founded in 2024 by Walter E. Hussman Jr., The Center for Integrity in News Reporting is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving public trust in journalism and strengthening the standards that once earned broad public confidence through objectivity and impartiality in news reporting.

With Stanton Foundation Grant, CFINR Expands State Journalism Awards to New England

By David Sommers • December 4, 2025
Center’s state-level awards Expansion now covers 20 states
Two men in suits, conversing via a split-screen video, for EditorandPublisher.com vodcasts.

Stars and Stripes at a crossroads: Inside its mission, press freedom challenges and digital future

November 18, 2025
November 15, 2025 —For more than 160 years, Stars and Stripes has served as an independent source of news for America’s service members around the world — operating uniquely inside the Department of Defense while fiercely guarding its editorial independence. In a wide-ranging conversation with Editor&Publisher , Stripes Publisher and CEO Max Dee Lederer Jr. reflected on the paper’s mission, the pressures of publishing within a government framework, the challenges of operating globally and the future of military journalism in the age of AI. Read the full article and watch the Vodcast interview at this link .