The Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award honors the late New York Herald Tribune reporter and recognizes outstanding achievements in reporting on racial or religious hatred, intolerance or discrimination in the United States.
2021 Tobenkin Award Winner
Reporter Susan Ferriss, Data Reporter Joe Yerardi and Data Fellow Taylor Johnston of the Center for Public Integrity won the 2021 Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award for their investigative project “Hidden Hardship.” During the darkest moments of the COVID-19 pandemic, as former President Donald Trump continued to spur anti-immigrant sentiment, many thousands of mostly Latino immigrant workers at U.S. farms and meat processing plants were risking and sacrificing their lives to feed a country in crisis. Their unrecognized contributions in key counties driving the nation’s food supply, their mistreatment by employers and unreported deaths became the focus of "Hidden Hardship."
About
The Paul Tobenkin Memorial Award was established at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1959 — during the heart of the civil rights movement — to honor Paul Tobenkin, The New York Herald Tribune reporter’s work and to recognize outstanding achievements in reporting on racial or religious hatred, intolerance or discrimination in the United States.
The award honors the reporting of stories that ferret out instances of racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination. Authors may submit a portfolio of single pieces or a published series. The award, which consists of a certificate from Columbia and a $1,500 prize, is conferred annually at the School’s Journalism Day ceremony in May.
Newsday Correspondent Bonnie Angelo received the award in 1961 for her series, “The Battle for Prince Edward, Virginia.” At the time, Prince Edward County shut down its public school system to avoid integration as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Angelo was cited for her “well reported, well documented and researched and extremely well written series” that brought quick action by the U.S. government and aid from Long Island residents to help black students unable to attend schools.
Past awards highlighted the work of The Denver Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Reporter for racial and ethnic reporting that exposed uncovered discrimination and challenged the status quo. The Let’s Do It Better! Workshop on Journalism, Race and Ethnicity also incorporated the Tobenkin Award in its list of workshop honorees.
How to Enter
How to Nominate
ALL materials should be formatted and uploaded as PDFs. Supporting multimedia presentations can be sent as URLs. Links must remain live.
If you know a journalist who deserves to be recognized, please submit the completed nomination form and pertinent material. There is no entry fee.
To nominate a journalist, please submit the following materials:
- A brief letter from the editor indicating the scope of the reporter's work, including links to any websites created for the project.
- A brief biography of the reporter.
- Up to five articles published in 2020 that best typify the reporter's work.
Please keep in mind:
- Published stories may take the form of a single project, a portfolio of the reporter’s best work or a series.
- If material lives online, please provide direct links.
- For all visual elements, the name of the photographer or graphic artist should be included on all entry forms.
- Supporting material will not be returned.
Past Winners
See past winners:
|
Year |
Name |
Organization |
Work |
Judges |
| 2020 | Kyle Hopkins | Anchorage Daily News | “Lawless” | Elena Cabral, Lisa R. Cohen, Ari Goldman |
| 2019 | Ginger Thompson, Michael Grabell and Topher Sanders | ProPublica | "Zero Tolerance" | Daniel Alarcón, Elena Cabral and Lonnie Isabel |
| 2018 | Reporters | ProPublica and the Florida Times-Union | "Walking While Black" | Daniel Alarcón, Elena Cabral, Lonnie Isabel |
| 2017 |
Jenni Monet (Winner); Will Evans (Special Citation) |
Independent Journalist; Reveal |
Coverage of the Standing Rock Sioux battle against the Dakota Access oil pipeline: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Account of the widespread employer practice of using temp agencies to discriminate against workers based on race, gender, age and even sexual orientation: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
Elena Cabral, Jelani Cobb, Keith Gessen |
|
2016 |
Terrence McCoy (Winner, ’12 MA Politics graduate); Talia Buford, Ronnie Greene, Kristen Lombardi and Amber Payne (Special Citation) |
The Washington Post; The Center for Public Integrity and NBCBLK |
Investigative stories about lead poisoning victims [Part 1, Part 2, Part 3]; |
Elena Cabral, June Cross and Abi Wright |
|
2015 |
Mark Puente |
The Baltimore Sun |
Elena Cabral, Barbara Kantrowitz and Abi Wright |
|
|
2014 |
Susan Ferriss |
Center for Public Integrity |
Elena Cabral, June Cross, Barbara Kantrowitz |
|
|
2013 |
Nikole Hannah-Jones |
ProPublica |
Elena Cabral, June Cross and Barbara Kantrowitz |
|
|
2012 |
Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Chris Hawley and Eileen Sullivan |
The Associated Press |
Series outlining the NYPD’s surveillance of minority and particularly Muslim neighborhoods since the 9/11 terror attacks |
Elena Cabral, Howard French and Barbara Kantrowitz |
|
2011 |
Tina Griego |
The Denver Post |
Columbia Journalism School Faculty |
|
|
2010 |
Nina Bernstein |
The New York Times |
Series of articles that documented the mistreatment of immigrants in federal custody |
Columbia Journalism School Faculty |
|
2009 |
The Chauncey Bailey Project |
Collaboration of a number of journalists and Bay Area news organizations |
The project was conceived to probe the assassination of an Oakland journalist who was investigating a business called “Your Black Muslim Bakery.” |
Columbia Journalism School Faculty |
|
2008 |
Michael Riley |
The Denver Post |
Columbia Journalism School Faculty |
|
|
2006 |
Alysia Tate |
The Chicago Reporter |
“Chicago Matters” |
Columbia Journalism School Faculty |
|
2005 |
Steve Hymon, Mitchell Landsberg, Charles Ornstein, Tracy Weber and Robert Gauthier |
The Los Angeles Times |
Columbia Journalism School Faculty |
Judges
The Tobenkin Award is judged by Columbia Journalism School faculty.
Contact Us
212-854-6468
cjsprizes@gmail.com
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