Baltimore Sun, Wall Street Journal win awards in National Press Club journalism contest

The Baltimore Sun, The Wall Street Journal and a freelance columnist who now works for USA Today won top awards in the 2016 National Press Club Journalism Contest.

The Sun won the Breaking News Award for its coverage of the riots following the death of Freddie Gray, while Adam Entous won the Edwin Hood Diplomatic Award for the Journal for his stories on the erosion of relations between the United States and Israel. Jill Lawrence, now with USA Today, won the Lee Walczak Award for her freelance columns on the 2016 presidential candidates.

The Associated Press won a consumer journalism-newspapers award for its ground-breaking “Seafood from Slaves” stories about the fishing industry in Southeast Asia that resulted in the freeing of 2,000 slaves. Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post won the Angele Gingras Award for humor writing

The broadcast winner for consumer journalism was KDVR-TV in Denver for its look at widespread use of anti-inflammatory drugs on student athletes. ABC News’ Nightline won the Ann Cottrell Free Award for its look at efforts to stamp out wild animal circus acts in Peru.

The winners will be honored at an awards dinner at the National Press Club on Thursday, Aug. 4. Tickets for this event are available here.

NPC Journalism Contest - Winners


  • Breaking News-print: The Baltimore Sun for its coverage of the riots in the spring of 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray.

  • Consumer Journalism-newspapers: The Associated Press for its “Seafood from Slaves” stories about the fishing industry in Southeast Asia that resulted in the freeing of more than 2,000 slaves.

  • Consumer Journalism-periodicals: ProPublica’s Paul Kiel and Annie Waldman for their coverage of debt collection lawsuits and their impact on minority communities.

  • Consumer Journalism-broadcast: KDVR-TV of Denver for its coverage of widespread use of anti-inflammatory drugs on student athletes.

  • Edwin M. Hood Diplomatic Award: Adam Entous of The Wall Street Journal for his coverage of the erosion of relations between the U.S. and Israel.

  • Washington Regional Reporting: Franco Ordonez of McClatchy Newspapers for his reporting on problems at U.S. deportation centers for undocumented immigrants.

  • Arthur Rowse Award for Press Criticism-print: Mark Follman of Mother Jones for his coverage of how the media inspires mass shootings.

  • Newsletter Journalism: Corbin Hiar of Environment & Energy Publishing won for stories about the U.S. government’s trouble regulating oil and gas activity in its national wildlife refuges.

  • Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award-print: Justin Jouvenal of The Washington Post for his investigation of small-area zoos and problems with animal treatment.

  • Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award-broadcast: ABC News Nightline for its coverage of wild animal circus acts in Peru and related problems.

  • Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism Award: Michael M. Phillips of The Wall Street Journal for his coverage of a hostage situation in Alabama in which a 5-year-old boy was held in a bunker for days.

  • Sandy Hume Award for Excellence in Political Journalism: Rebecca Ballhaus of The Wall Street Journal for stories including her examination of how candidates raise and spend money.

  • Angele Gingras Humor Award: Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post for funny columns on a wide variety of topics, from state flag designs to women’s versions of famous sayings.

  • Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence in Writing on the Problems of Geriatics: Shannon Mullen of the Asbury Park Press for reporting about the scandal-ridden guardianship system which often leaves older people robbed of cash and their security.

  • Michael A. Dornheim Award: W.J. Hennigan of the Los Angeles Times for a variety of strong stories on defense topics -- from pilots flying drones to flying in a U-2 spy plane.

  • Lee Walczak Award for Political Analysis: Jill Lawrence, now with USA Today, for her colorful freelance columns on the 2016 presidential candidates.

  • News Photo Award: Andrew Russell of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for his photo coverage of a young Ugandan girl disfigured by acid thrown into her face by her husband. The photo captured the scene with grace and dignity, the judges said.

NPC Journalism Contest - Honorable Mentions


  • Breaking News-print: The Washington Post for its coverage of a fire in one of the Metro tunnels.

  • Consumer Journalism-newspapers: The Washington Post’s Peter Whoriskey for his coverage of problems related to the federal government’s “Food Guidelines.”

  • Consumer Journalism-periodicals: CNN Money’s Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken for their coverage of government’s use of private debt collectors.

  • Edwin M. Hood Diplomatic Award: Roy Gutman of McClatchy Newspapers for his coverage of the Obama administration’s response to the rise of the Islamic State group.

  • Washington Regional Reporting: Joe Morton of the Omaha World-Herald for a range of well-written stories of interest to his readership.

  • Arthur Rowse Award for Press Criticism-print: Paul Farhi of The Washington Post for a wide range of stories about media coverage.

  • Newsletter Journalism: Brian Bardwell of Tax Analysts for his coverage of the hacked Sony emails.

  • Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award-print: Kaleigh Rogers of Motherboard/Vice Media for stories about research chimpanzees abandoned on an island in Liberia.

  • Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award-broadcast: Jennifer Strong of Public Radio International and her coverage of how animal poaching has helped fund terrorist groups.

  • Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism Award: The Center for Public Integrity for “Unequal Risk," a look at lack of regulations on toxic substances has killed or injured U.S. workers needlessly.

  • Sandy Hume Award for Excellence in Political Journalism: Ben Terris of The Washington Post for his nicely done coverage of the political campaigns.

  • Angele Gingras Humor Award: Barrett Brown, a writer for The Intercept, for his witty columns on topics ranging from politics to writing to federal prison bureaucracy.

  • Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence in Writing on the Problems of Geriatics: Mark Johnson and Mike De Sisti of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, for “Living Lonely," a look at the solitary and often unhappy loves of older people living in isolation.

  • Michael A. Dornheim Award: Richard Lardner and Eileen Sullivan of The Associated Press for their investigative stories on sexual predators of children in the U.S. military.

  • Lee Walczak Award for Political Analysis: Molly Ball of The Atlantic for profiles of presidential contenders.

  • News Photo Award: Patrick Witty for photo in Buzzfeed that looked at the fear and chaos experienced by a woman refugee on the Greek island of Lesbos.