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Students and faculty gathered Tuesday night to listen to stories and advice from the recipients of the 2024 Toner Prize at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The award is given to journalists behind some of the nation’s best political reporting.

This year, the national-level winners were Greg Jaffe and Patrick Marley from The Washington Post for their entry, “Ottawa County.” The local level award was given to Anna Orso, Sean Walsh, Julia Terruso, Aseem Shukla and Layla Jones from The Philadelphia Inquirer for their entry, “The race for Philadelphia’s 100th mayor.”

Jaffe and Marley were both present for the lecture. Their collection of stories focused primarily on Michigan’s Ottawa County, addressing a community in upheaval over issues such as controversy surrounding a sex educator in Michigan and mistrust regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the piece, the team explored if the upset residents within Ottawa County would ever be able to coexist despite their differing beliefs. The story’s conclusion acknowledged that residents couldn’t be certain they would get along in the future but should remain hopeful.

“It was really American politics at its worst, at its most nationalized worst, in their face, every day. And I think they were just sick of seeing people they were fighting with at the grocery store,” Jaffe said.

At the local level, “The race for Philadelphia’s 100th mayor” explained Philadelphia’s controversial 2023 mayoral race and the implications the race’s outcome has for the city.

The pieces touched on topics such as gun violence and saving Philadelphia’s “middle neighborhoods” — areas of a community that aren’t necessarily flourishing but aren’t in distress. The reporting also included data analysis on voter turnout and segregation within Philadelphia’s democratic community.

Shukla worked with the team for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and although he no longer works for the publication, he said he continues to feel the impact of receiving a Toner Prize.

“Getting this prize, for me, was validation for being a journalist, right? Like ‘Hey, this is making some kind of impact somewhere,’” Shukla said.

The prize, established in 2009, is named after late Syracuse University alumna Robin Toner, the first woman to work for The New York Times as a national political correspondent.

Winners are announced at an annual dinner in Washington, D.C., which has previously featured keynote speakers such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. The recipients traditionally speak at the annual Toner Lecture.

The event, moderated by Margaret Talev — the Kramer Director of the SU’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship — was followed by an opportunity for students to ask questions of the recipients. Many students stayed for almost an hour conversing with the awardees, asking for personalized advice about their future careers.

Jack McGuire, a graduate student studying broadcast and digital journalism, said he attended the event with the hope of learning from industry professionals.

“It’s nice to hear from people that are pros in the business and see the journeys that they took and the ins and outs of the industry,” McGuire said.

Much of the commentary shared by the reporters emphasized more of the behind-the-scenes aspects of their stories, providing attendees with a different perspective on their journalistic process.

For Terruso, an SU alumna and national political reporter, receiving the Toner Prize was a full circle moment.

“I remember sitting in this auditorium, hearing from incredible people who had won this award. Honestly, it kind of felt unreal to be in the company of such giants and be able to come back here and accept it on behalf of my team,” Terruso said.

DISCLAIMER: Julia Terruso worked in The Daily Orange’s News section from 2008-2010. She did not influence the editorial content of this article.

Published on December 4, 2024 at 12:59 am

Contact Arabella: akklonow@syr.edu