Cable Network reporting Award
ENTRY WINNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Andrew Kaczynski, Em Steck and CNN Staff
ENTRY EXPLANATION
On the afternoon of Sept. 19, 2024, CNN published a story linking Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, to a series of inflammatory comments made under an alias posting on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago.
The reporting showed that Robinson, whose political career was built on promoting himself as a family-values conservative, had privately espoused extreme views online, referring to himself as a “Black Nazi,” advocating for the reinstatement of slavery, denigrating civil rights icons, and expressing enjoyment of transgender pornography
Along with being gratuitously sexual and lewd in nature, the comments, which predated Robinson’s entry into politics, undermined Robinson’s positions on cultural issues, including his frequent attacks on transgender people.
The comments were made under the username “minisoldr,” a moniker Robinson used frequently online.
Robinson listed his full name on his profile for the porn site, as well as an email address he used on numerous websites across the internet, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
As detailed in the story, CNN was able to identify Robinson as “minisoldr” by matching a litany of biographical details between the two, including his age, his hometown, his Army service and details of his marriage. CNN also cross-referenced posts between Robinson’s public social media profiles and that of “minisoldr” and found they often posted about the same topics online, including reviews for remote-controlled helicopters, their attraction to specific celebrities and their favorite “Twilight Zone” episode.
CNN was able to further authenticate that the comments were made by Robinson by matching public records, biographical data, and other internet activity connecting usernames and email addresses.
Robinson, who was then North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, agreed to sit down with CNN for an on-camera interview. Robinson denied the comments were his, despite the sizeable amount of countervailing evidence uncovered by CNN.
The reporting led to days and weeks of reporting from other major news outlets that built on CNN’s reporting.
Nearly a month after the story was published, Mark Robinson sued CNN for defamation over the contents of its story. The lawsuit is ongoing and CNN is vigorously defending its reporting.
CNN’s reporting, led by Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, combined rigorous research and reporting with cross-platform storytelling, helped to inform the public on a key topic at a timely moment.
