Washington Post narrative enterprise reporter Hannah Natanson will deliver the 2026 Pringle Lecture during Journalism Day on May 19, addressing this year’s graduating class in recognition of her deeply reported coverage of the Trump administration’s reshaping of the federal government and its far-reaching effects.
Presented at the annual Journalism Day celebration, the Pringle Lecture honors Henry F. Pringle, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former Columbia Journalism School faculty member, and is given by an outstanding journalist covering politics and Washington. Natanson offers the Class of 2026 a powerful example of journalism that holds institutions to account and reveals how power operates.
Natanson is known for reporting marked by strong sourcing that reveals how power operates inside government. She has uncovered sweeping changes across federal agencies and documented high-stakes moments in foreign policy, including the U.S. operation targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and its global implications. Her reporting has also drawn intense scrutiny, including a January 2026 raid on her home by FBI agents.
She is the recipient of the Toner Prize for excellence in political reporting for her coverage of the transformation of government under President Trump. She was also awarded a George Foster Peabody Award in 2024 for a podcast series on school gun violence. As part of a team at The Washington Post, she contributed to the newsroom’s 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Her additional honors include the Society of Professional Journalists’ Dateline Award for Investigative Journalism (2024) and the Education Writers Association’s National First-Place Award for News Reporting (2020). She has also been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (2022, as part of a team) and the Poynter Journalism Prizes’ First Amendment Award (2024).
At a time of mounting challenges for institutions and journalists alike, Natanson’s career adds to the legacy of Pringle Lecturers since 2011.
