The National Press Foundation elected Cheryl W. Thompson, an award-winning investigative journalist and educator, to its Board of Directors.
“It is my great honor to welcome Cheryl to the NPF board,” board chair Terence Samuel said. “It would be difficult to overstate the value of her experience and expertise in light of her distinguished career as a reporter, editor and tenacious advocate for the best in investigative journalism. Additionally, her teaching work aligns perfectly with the NPF mission preparing the next generation of journalists for the important work at hand and ahead.”
Thompson is an investigative correspondent and senior editor for member station investigations for NPR, teaches investigative reporting at George Washington University and is the author of the upcoming book Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen.
“I’m honored to join this group of amazing journalists and industry leaders,” Thompson said. “The training and tools this decades-old organization provides are needed now more than ever. I look forward to continuing NPF’s mission to ‘make good journalists better.'”
Before coming to NPR in 2019, Thompson spent 22 years with The Washington Post, examining criminal justice, political corruption, guns and the White House. Thompson was part of teams that won two Pulitzer Prizes, one for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the other in 2016 for fatal police shootings. She also served as the reporting coach for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize-winning NPR podcast “No Compromise.”
In 2018, Thompson was elected the first Black president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a 6,000-member organization dedicated to improving investigative journalism. She served an unprecedented three terms before being named board chair in 2021.
She is the recipient of more than 40 journalism awards, including an Emmy, five National Headliners and three from IRE. In December 2024, she received the Legacy Award from the Washington Association of Black Journalists for her career achievements, mentorship and commitment to the Black community.
“Cheryl has already served as a mentor in our Widening the Pipeline program, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the board where she’ll continue to collaborate with other high-caliber journalists and help us better support newsrooms everywhere,” said NPF president Anne Godlasky.
The National Press Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1976 whose mission is to increase journalists’ knowledge of complex issues to improve public understanding by providing free, on-the-record training on a range of newsworthy topics.
