Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA honored with the National Press Club Journalism Institute's Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ed Mahon, an investigative reporter at Spotlight PA, will receive the National Press Club Journalism Institute's 2025 Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism.

Mahon reports on addiction treatment and the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania, one of the states hardest hit by fatal overdoses. He also covers access to care, Pennsylvania's medical cannabis program, and broader public health issues.

"Ed Mahon's coverage sets a high bar for investigative journalism with consistent and direct impact for communities in Pennsylvania," said Ed Kelley, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute. "His dedication to keeping a steady spotlight on the opioid epidemic in the state, to following the money, and to transparency for the public truly embodies the spirit of the Sheehan Award. We are so pleased to recognize Ed with this award."

Mahon's ongoing work includes a first-of-its-kind, wide-ranging look at how Pennsylvania county officials spent or are planning to spend tens of millions of dollars they received in opioid settlement money, utilizing reports from all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, along with 10 district attorneys' offices entitled to funds based on their role in litigation. For more than two years, he has covered the lack of transparency and secret meetings held by the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust, which oversees some aspects of those funds. After years of scrutiny, the organization held its first public listening session in August.

"I am deeply honored by this recognition and would like to offer my sincere thanks to the National Press Club Journalism Institute," Mahon said. "At Spotlight PA, we wanted to do more than simply point out problems with the rollout of opioid settlement money. We wanted to create opportunities for people most affected by the issue to get involved and share their own stories and solutions.

"I am glad this approach resonated," Mahon added. "I'm also deeply grateful to all my sources who shared their experiences, and I want to thank all of the colleagues — within Spotlight PA and from other news organizations — I've had the chance to partner with on this important work."

A native of Delaware County, Pa., Mahon worked in newsrooms across Pennsylvania before joining Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom dedicated to high-quality investigative and public-service journalism about the Pennsylvania state government and urgent statewide issues. Mahon's reporting has spurred policy changes, created new legal precedent in favor of transparency, and earned national recognition from the Association of Health Care Journalists, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and other organizations. He is a former president of the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents' Association.

"Those in power often turn a blind eye to news coverage knowing a fickle news cycle or dwindling resources in newsrooms will cause reporters — and the public's interest — to quickly move on," said Christopher Baxter, CEO & President of Spotlight PA. "Ed's work is a prime example of turning those assumptions upside down with persistence and creativity that made it impossible to ignore, driving real and lasting change for the better."

Each year, the Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism recognizes work that best reflects the Sheehans' extraordinary commitment to the principle that a vibrant democracy depends on an informed citizenry and a free press. The award promotes the practice of investigative journalism exemplifying compassion, courage, and integrity. The Sheehan Award was given in 2024 to Yvette Cabrera, a climate justice reporter formerly of the Center for Public Integrity, in 2023 to Kat Stafford, equity and global race and justice editor with Reuters, and in 2022 to PBS FRONTLINE's Local Journalism Initiative.

The National Press Club and Journalism Institute will confer the 2025 Sheehan Award, along with the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Awards, during its annual Fourth Estate Award Gala honoring Robert Costa on Dec. 9 in Washington, D.C.

The gala dinner is a fundraiser for the Club's nonprofit affiliate, the National Press Club Journalism Institute, which produces training to equip journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement. Tickets and more information for the event can be found here.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.

Contact: Beth Francesco, National Press Club Journalism Institute executive director, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club Journalism Institute