The Baltimore Banner recognized with Freedom of the Press Award
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press announced the recipients of the 2025 Freedom of the Press Awards, hosted this year by Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. The Freedom of the Press Awards recognize the accomplishments of leaders in the news media and legal fields whose work embodies the values of the First Amendment.
The 2025 honorees are:
- Amanda Bennett, former CEO, U.S. Agency for Global Media
- Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief, The Atlantic
- Terry Baquet, co-founder and editor-in-chief, Verite News
- The Baltimore Banner
- Brad Kutrow, partner, McGuireWoods
“At a time when our free press is under attack, the extraordinary achievements of this year’s Freedom of the Press Award winners remind us why the First Amendment is worth fighting for,” said Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee. “Thanks to their hard work and dedication, communities across the country are more informed about issues that impact their lives.”
“We are honored to be recognized by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press for the work of our newsroom to strengthen communities through the power of trusted, independent journalism,” said Banner CEO Bob Cohn. “To be singled out for reporting that has significant impact is especially gratifying as we work to shape and inspire a more promising future for people in Maryland.”
The Banner was honored for the tremendous impact its investigative journalism, data driven reporting and editorial coverage has had on communities across Maryland since its founding in 2022. The Banner won its first Pulitzer Prize for local reporting earlier this year for its coverage of the opioid overdose crisis in Maryland, which it produced in partnership with The New York Times. Through a successful public records lawsuit against the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, The Banner found that Baltimore had the highest overdose rate of any major American city and that Black men were being disproportionately impacted by the crisis. The Banner’s reporting sparked a national conversation on the opioid epidemic and immediate calls for change.
In addition, a separate Banner investigation into decades of child sexual abuse allegations against church figures at an East Baltimore-based megachurch drove public calls for accountability and prompted the church to expel two pastors and review its handling of the allegations.
