The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Wall Street Journal win awards in National Press Club journalism contest

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- National Press Club President Mike Balsamo today announced the 2025 winners of the prestigious National Press Club Journalism Awards.

This year's honorees include news outlets from across the country, ranging from small newsrooms to major international organizations. Their award-winning work offered deeper insight into some of the most widely covered events of the year, brought critical self-reflection to the forefront, and demonstrated how investigative journalism continues to be a powerful force for change.

"This year's winners reflect the very best of what journalism can and should be — fearless, thoughtful, and deeply impactful," said National Press Club President Mike Balsamo. "From small-town newsrooms to global outlets, these journalists brought clarity to complex issues, held power to account, and gave voice to those too often overlooked. We're proud to recognize their work at a time when strong, independent reporting is more essential than ever."

The Associated Press staff won two awards this year. Their comprehensive online and print coverage of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, received the Award for Breaking News in the print/online category. Additionally, AP journalists Margie Mason and Robin McDowell won the Consumer Journalism Award in the print/online category for their multi-part investigative series, Prison to Plate, which exposed how forced prison labor has infiltrated key food supply chains in the United States.

Journalists at The Wall Street Journal received the Lee Walczak Award for Political Analysis for their timely and prescient reporting on President Joe Biden's mental acuity — coverage that was published weeks ahead of his widely criticized debate performance.

Bloomberg News earned two awards this year. Shirin Ghaffary was recognized with the Newsletter Journalism Award for Q&AI, for her insightful reporting on developments in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector. A team of Bloomberg News journalists received the Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence in Writing on the Problems of Geriatrics for its in-depth investigation into how scammers target elderly victims to steal their life savings — and the failure of both private financial institutions and policymakers to offer adequate protection.

Floodlight earned the Arthur E. Rowse Award for Examining the News Media for their investigation of how energy companies are quietly purchasing local news outlets and employing out-of-work journalists to lend legitimacy to industry messaging — a "news mirage" that masquerades as real journalism, often without readers' awareness. Floodlight's Media Manipulation in America was praised by the National Press Club Journalism Awards' judges for its high-quality reporting, its narrative strength, and its ability to surface an urgent yet little-known issue at the intersection of media, power, and public trust.

The awards dinner will be held at the National Press Club on Wednesday, August 27. The evening will begin with a 6 p.m. reception in the Holeman Lounge, followed by dinner and the awards program at 7 p.m. in the Club's ballroom.

Tickets are $75 for the general public and $65 for National Press Club members and can be purchased online.

WINNERS

Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award (Broadcast)
Chiara Eisner and Nicholas McMillan, NPR for "That's a bloodbath': How a federal program kills wildlife for private interests"

Honorable Mention: ABC News and reporting partners KXTV, KSTP and KTNV for "Investigating SeaQuest"

Ann Cottrell Free Animal Reporting Award (Print)
Melody Gutierrez, Alene Tchekmedyian and David Wharton, Los Angeles Times for "Pets for Profit"

Honorable Mention: The New York Times for "The Panda Factories"

Arthur E. Rowse Award for Examining the News Media
Floodlight for "Media Manipulation in America"

Breaking News Award (Print/Online)
The Associated Press for "Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump"

Honorable Mention: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for "Coverage of the Trump assassination attempt"

Breaking News Award (Broadcast)
ABC News for "The Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump"

Honorable Mention: ABC News for "Inside Syria: Assad Overthrown"

Consumer Journalism Award (Broadcast)
Sinclair Broadcast Group's "Spotlight on America" for "Toxic Inaction"

Consumer Journalism Award (Print/Online)
Margie Mason and Robin McDowell, The Associated Press for "Prison to Plate"

Honorable Mention: The Outlaw Ocean Project for "The North Koreans Behind Global Seafood"

Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence
Christopher Bing and Joel Schectman, Reuters for "Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic"

Honorable Mention: The Wall Street Journal for "Exposing Putin's Police State—From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond"

Joan M. Friedenberg Online Journalism Award
NBC News for "This is how a Russian disinformation campaign starts"

Honorable Mention: Bloomberg News for "The Hidden Power Costs of AI"

Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence in Writing on the Problems of Geriatrics
Ann Choi, Denise Lu, Tom Schoenberg and Paige Smith of Bloomberg News for "Elder Fraud On the Rise"

Honorable Mention: Angela Couloumbis, Spotlight PA for "Unprotected"

Lee Walczak Award for Political Analysis
The Wall Street Journal for "The Hidden Decline of Joe Biden"

Honorable Mention: Spencer Kent and Riley Yates, NJ Advance Media for "Project Extreme"

Michael A. Dornheim Award
Tony Bartelme, The Post and Courier for "Eject!"

Honorable Mention: Tara Copp, Aaron Kessler and Kevin Vineys, The Associated Press for "V-22 Osprey Safety Record"

Nell Minow Award for Cultural Criticism
Candice Norwood, The 19th for "The Road to Cowboy Carter"

Honorable Mention: Aki Ito, Business Insider for "From entry-level to exec: Inside workers' fracturing relationship with employers"

Newsletter Journalism Award
Shirin Ghaffary, Bloomberg News for "Q&AI Newsletter"

Sandy Hume Award for Excellence in Political Journalism
Eric Cortellessa, TIME for political journalism

Honorable Mention: Stephen Caruso, Spotlight PA for "Vetting Shapiro"

Judging panels this year elected not to give awards in the following categories: Washington Regional Reporting; News Photography; and Humor Writing.

Media Inquiries: Please contact [email protected]
Program or Event Inquiries: Contact Cecily Scott Martin at [email protected] or (202) 662-7528

SOURCE National Press Club