NPF Announces 2015 Journalism Award Winners

The winners of two new digital innovation awards underscore the National Press Foundation’s mission of honoring the best journalism practices and encouraging digital creativity.

The Best Use of Technology in Journalism Award goes to The Des Moines Register and Gannett Product for two projects: “Iowa State Fair Soapbox” and “Harvest of Change.” The NPF judges said: “The use of new tools like virtual reality and 360 video reflects a culture of experimentation in a newsroom that should be recognized and rewarded. Their utilization of technology created game-changing consumer experiences.”

The Innovation in Journalism Award winner is the Tampa Bay Times for its investigation of county schools, “Failure Factories.” The NPF judges said: “The Tampa Bay Times investigation surfaced the disastrous impact of re-segregation of its local schools. Its innovative use of data visualizations encouraged the reader to see the impact and interact with the data.”

“Our new digital awards showcase the true innovation in our newsrooms today, ” said NPF Board Chairman Heather Dahl. “Both winners clearly demonstrated that some of the most interesting digital journalism is being created in organizations that combine their legacy of traditional news values while experimenting with new technologies.”

Winners of the two new awards will join a host of talented journalists whose achievements will be honored at NPF’s annual awards dinner on Feb. 11, 2016.

  • Diane Rehm, host of “The Diane Rehm Show” on NPR, receives the Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award.
  • Charlie Rose is the winner of the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. Rose is a co-anchor of “CBS This Morning” and host of the eponymous “Charlie Rose” show on PBS.
  • The Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award goes to John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei, co-founders of POLITICO.
  • Curtis Tate of McClatchy Newspapers is the winner of NPF’s Feddie Award for a project on lax regulation of oil trains.
  • Rob Rogers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is the winner of the Clifford K & James T. Berryman Award for Editorial Cartoons.
  • Matt Fuller is the winner of the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress for his investigation of the Freedom Caucus. Matt reported the winning entry when he was at CQ Roll Call; he is now at The Huffington Post.

More detail on the award winners will be published in the coming weeks.

Help Make Good Journalists Better
Donate to the National Press Foundation to help us keep journalists informed on the issues that matter most.
DONATE ANY AMOUNT