On March 28th, 2011, The First Annual Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting ceremony was held at Syracuse University. The Toner Prize is given in honor of the late Robin Toner, who set some of the highest standards for political reporting. Toner was the first woman, national political correspondent of the New York Times. Robert Kennedy called her “a reporter’s reporter,” one of the highest compliments to be given to someone in her position.
The Toner Prize is the Pulitzer Prize of political reporting. The winner of this year’s Toner Prize went to Craig Harris. Harris was rewarded $5,000 for his political reporting on Arizona’s public pension plan. Three other reporters, Marcus Stern, Sebastian Jones and Ryan Lizza, received honorable mentions. Unfortunately, Lizza was unable to attend the event. The awards were presented by Toner’s children, Nora and Jake Gosselin, who gave a speech with eloquence and pride.
Following the awards ceremony, leading healthcare political reporter, Marilyn Serafini, discussed the coverage of healthcare in the media. She believes that reforming healthcare is “one of the most contentious stories,” and that the debate over it is difficult to cover. Serafini spoke about the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, and its 2,000 page bill, saying that it “couldn’t have been shorter.” The Act, which people often call Obamacare, works to reform the current healthcare system.
The economy and jobs are people’s biggest concerns, and will continue to receive the most media coverage. However, Serafini stated that healthcare reform will still be on people’s minds. How it all plays out really depends on what happens before the election.
Harris, Stern and Jones spoke after Serafini on the issue of access to information in 2010 and 2011. They all stressed the importance of never revealing one’s sources. Harris said that he’d be prepared to go to jail to protect his sources.
I was glad to leave the presentation much more knowledgeable then I was before. Political reporting isn’t a field I am interested in, and I do not have a strong background in politics. However, from this presentation I was able to learn about respectable people in the field, the current healthcare status, and the important rules of political reporting. I enjoyed the award ceremony in honor of Robin Toner, and look forward to attending it next year, if held at Syracuse again.
