RTDNA Foundation Announces 2024 First Amendment Award Honorees

The RTDNA Foundation today announced its class of 2024 First Amendment Award honorees, recognizing 13 individuals and organizations for their efforts to promote responsible journalism and preserve the constitutionally guaranteed rights to do so.

All recipients will be honored March 9 at the 33rd annual First Amendment Awards at The Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. They will join 141 previous recipients who stood for the values of the First Amendment.

“It is our sacred duty to promote, protect and defend the First Amendment, which makes journalism the only vocation specifically protected in our Constitution,” said RTDNA Foundation President Dan Shelley. “The individuals represented in this group of recipients embody the spirit of such journalism. And, their work reminds us why it is so important to defend the First Amendment each and every day.”

In addition to recognizing responsible journalism, the First Amendment Awards is the Foundation’s biggest annual fundraiser, enabling the Foundation to ensure the broadcast and digital news profession remains a critical part of our nation’s free press for generations to come and supporting scholarships for journalism students.

“The First Amendment Awards gives us all a chance to pause and reflect on the brave and brilliant work done in the name of journalism,” said RTDNA Foundation Chair Allison McGinley. “It is a true honor to get a chance to recognize these outstanding recipients.”

The 2024 First Amendment Award winners are:

Gio Benitez, ABC News The RTDNA Foundation selected Benitez for his courageous reporting of the Maui wildfires. Benitez was on vacation in Hawaii when the wildfires started, and he did what came naturally to him: He reported the news. His work was thorough and inspiring and captured the horrific human toll of the natural disaster.

Lauren Chooljian, New Hampshire Public Radio The RTDNA Foundation selected Chooljian for this honor because of her unflinching reporting on sexual misconduct allegations facing the owner of one of New England’s largest providers of addiction treatment. In the wake of her reporting, Chooljian was subjected to multiple instances of vandalism, threatening graffiti and a libel lawsuit.

Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, CBS News The RTDNA Foundation selected Ciprián-Matthews for her commitment to excellent and ethical journalism, especially at a time when the stakes are so high. Her leadership during some of the most challenging news stories in American history is a testament to the power of journalism.

Evan Gershkovich, Wall Street Journal The RTDNA Foundation selected Gershkovich because he sits in a Russian jail cell for practicing journalism. His wrongful arrest is a reminder that press freedoms are not universally recognized and why they must be protected here in the United States.

Dylan Lyons, Spectrum News 13 The RTDNA Foundation honors Lyons with a Citation of Courage. Lyons was murdered while on assignment in Orlando, the victim of a senseless shooting spree. No journalist should fear for their life for seeking and reporting the truth.

Joan and Eric Meyer, Marion County Record The RTDNA Foundation selected mother and son Joan and Eric Meyer for the brave and defiant response after police seized computers, cell phones and more during a raid on the Marion County Record’s office and Joan Meyer’s home. Joan, the owner of the newspaper, died the next day at age 98. The newspaper, where Eric is publisher, was not silenced by the raid and continues in its watchdog reporting. They have been honored with a Citation of Courage.

ProPublica The RTDNA Foundation selected ProPublica because of its groundbreaking approach in a challenging industry and its consistently excellent journalism that exposes wrongdoing and makes communities better.

Rep. Jamie Raskin The RTDNA Foundation selected Rep. Raskin (D-MD) for his tireless support for press freedoms during his time in Congress. Most recently, Rep. Raskin co-sponsored the PRESS Act, a federal reporters’ shield law that recently passed the House.

Jesse Walden, Spectrum News 13 The RTDNA Foundation will honor Walden with a Citation of Courage. Walden was shot while on assignment in Orlando. Since then, he has displayed remarkable resilience that is revealed in his commitment to authentic storytelling.

Clarissa Ward, CNN The RTDNA Foundation selected Ward for her brave, ethical, and thorough reporting from some of the most dangerous conflict zones in the world. Her recent work in Ukraine and Gaza has helped inform the world, and her advocacy for press freedoms in war zones is a testament to the spirit of the First Amendment.

Kristen Welker, NBC News The RTDNA Foundation selected Welker for her outstanding political reporting during one of the most contentious periods ever in American politics. As the moderator of a journalism institution, she holds the powerful accountable and continually proves why the First Amendment matters.

Phil Williams, WTVF-TV Nashville The RTDNA Foundation selected Williams for its Lifetime Achievement Award because his career as an investigative reporter has served as a model for what great journalism can do in a community. His reporting has uncovered corruption in the Tennessee government and numerous political scandals and has helped drive national conversations on important issues.