Reporters Committee raises $1.8 million, honors leaders in journalism and media law during 2026 Freedom of the Press Awards

Reporters Committee raised more than $1.8 million to continue its mission of providing free legal services to journalists and news organizations at its annual Freedom of the Press Awards this month. 

The event, held Oct. 14 in New York City, honored leaders in journalism and media law whose work embodies the values of the First Amendment. 

Host Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent and the former anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, kicked off the evening by recognizing the 2026 honorees: 

• Norman Pearlstine, editor and media executive — Career Achievement Award
• Michele Norris, senior contributing editor at MS NOW and founding director of the Race Card Project — Career Achievement Award
• The Marshall Project — Catalyst Award
• trina reynolds tyler, data director of the Invisible Institute — Local Champion Award
• David A. Schulz, director of the Yale Law School Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic — Pro Bono Service Award

“Tonight we are honoring individuals and organizations who exemplify a free press and those who fight to protect it — people who don’t rest until they get the facts out there,” Woodruff said during her opening remarks. “Whether they’re exposing corruption in the federal government or pushing local officials to be more transparent with their communities, their work is transformative.” 

Reporters Committee Chairman Stephen J. Adler acknowledged the legal challenges journalists have faced this year, including subpoenas pressuring reporters to reveal anonymous sources and press bans at the Pentagon and White House. 

“In the face of such challenges, I believe it is time for courage and solidarity,” Adler told guests. “Even as many of us choose not to advocate for anything else, we must advocate for each other even when it’s risky, unpopular, or inconvenient. We no longer have the luxury of responding just individually.” 

Reporters Committee President Bruce D. Brown highlighted the ways in which Reporters Committee attorneys are fighting back to ensure that the public has access to the information it needs to hold people in power accountable. He mentioned several high-profile friend-of-the-court briefs that Reporters Committee attorneys have filed this year, including one in support of ABC, which is suing the Federal Communications Commission over threats to punish the network for its coverage of the Trump administration. 

He also highlighted the two friend-of-the-court briefs Reporters Committee filed last month opposing the White House’s ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. A federal judge blocked the ban the night before the Awards.

“One refrain we hear from the Trump administration is that it is a privilege, not a right, for journalists to be in the White House, which was opened up to the press more than 120 years ago,” Brown said. “The administration has it exactly backwards. The rights belong to us. The privilege is to be a public servant.” 

The event was co-chaired by James A. Attwood, Jr., senior advisor at The Carlyle Group, and Steven R. Swartz, president and chief executive officer at Hearst.

Click here to watch a recording of the 2026 Freedom of the Press Awards. And learn more about each of our honorees below:

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Norman Pearlstine

Career Achievement Award

Pearlstine was honored for his career serving in numerous reporting, editing, and leadership roles at major news organizations in the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Most recently, he was the executive editor of the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2020. Before that, he worked in various roles for The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time Inc., and Bloomberg LP.

Michele Norris

Career Achievement Award

Norris, a senior contributing editor at MS NOW, was recognized for her work in various newsrooms, including as the co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” and a contributing columnist for The Washington Post. She is also the founding director of The Race Card Project, a Peabody Award-winning narrative archive where people around the world share six-word stories about race, identity, and belonging.

The Marshall Project 

The Catalyst Award

The Marshall Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. It earned the Catalyst Award, which honors journalists or newsrooms whose work has had a significant impact, for its coverage of a range of issues, including immigration, policing, prison and jail conditions, capital punishment, and juvenile justice. The Marshall Project’s work has influenced policy and sparked change in courtrooms and prisons across the country.

trina reynolds tyler

The Local Champion Award

reynolds tyler, director of data at the nonprofit Invisible Institute, was honored for her coverage and its impact on policing and violence in Chicago. She leads Beneath the Surface, a project employing machine learning to identify gender-based violence at the hands of Chicago police. A data journalist, reynolds tyler centers her work on narrative justice, documenting how communities unable to depend on the police are forced to create safety and accountability outside of the carceral state.

David A. Schulz 

Pro Bono Service Award

Schulz was recognized for his work as director of the Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic. At the clinic, Schulz serves as the Floyd Abrams Clinical Lecturer and a senior research scholar. He has helped the clinic pursue impact litigation and develop policy initiatives that increase government transparency, defend newsgatherers, and protect freedom of expression.