Winners
The inaugural competition for the Dan Rather Medals for News and Guts generated outstanding work from student and professional journalists across the country. The entries covered a range of topics – from city, county and federal organizations to school administration to for-profit companies. What they shared in common was a demonstrated commitment to reporting the tough stories of 2024 that needed to be told.
Garda’s reporting for the LAist uncovered $13.5 million that an Orange County, California, supervisor funneled to his daughter’s nonprofit, leading to the resignation and guilty plea of the official.
Knisely’s reporting for West Virginia Watch fought for transparency in West Virginia’s overwhelmed foster care system.
Shanley and the Independent Florida Alligator, the student newspaper at the University of Florida, exposed a tripling of executive spending, much of it to political allies, by the university president.
A team of journalism graduate students at Arizona State University — Sam Ellefson, Aspen Ford, Reagan Priest, Christopher Lomahquahu, Chad Bradley, Madison Perales, Eshaan Sarup, Mia Berry — received second-place recognition for their investigation into the university's failure to return Native American remains to tribes as required by law.
Previous Winners
2024
Professional winners: Michael Riley, David Kocieniewski, Monte Reel, Jessica Brice, Eric Fan, Michael Smith, Natalie Obiko Pearson, Chris Cannon and Henry Baker, Bloomberg News
Student media winners: Theo Baker, Stanford University, Stanford Daily; Nicole Markus, Alyce Brown, Cole Reynolds and Divya Bhardwaj, Northwestern University, Daily Northwestern; University of North Carolina, Daily Tar Heel staff
2023
Professional winners: Brian van der Brug and Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, and Ian Urbina, "The Outlaw Ocean Project"
Student media winner: Evan Gerike, Indiana University, Indiana Daily Student
2022
Professional winner: Richard Webster, "Unwatched"
Student media winner: Zachary Huber, University of Florida, Independent Florida Alligator
2021
Professional winner: Tony Plohetski, Austin American-Statesman and KVUE
Student media winner: Madeleine Davison, Syracuse University, Daily Orange