New York, N.Y., January 28, 2026— Columbia Journalism School announced the 15 winners of the 2026 duPont-Columbia Awards during a special ceremony tonight highlighting outstanding audio and video reporting in the public interest across platforms. Scott Pelley, CBS News 60 Minutes Correspondent and Michel Martin, Host of NPR’s Morning Edition, presented the awards at The Lee C. Bollinger Forum at Columbia University. The 90-minute duPont Awards ceremony, often referred to as the “Pulitzers of broadcast,” is available to watch at www.dupont.org.
Addressing the audience, Pelley said, “It is gratifying to see journalists continue to thrive despite one of the most hostile times our profession has faced in America. And haven’t we seen the critical importance of the First Amendment? Citizen reporters recording the mayhem in Minneapolis. In this moment when federal police hide behind masks and top officials rush to lie to the American people. The simple, but courageous act of recording the truth has prevailed.
Later in the evening, Martin’s remarks included a request.
“Can we also remember that journalism is fun? ..It’s FUN. Even with all the very serious, sometimes heartbreaking stories we are honoring tonight, telling stories is FUN. Speaking truth to power is FUN. Look..some people can go to work their entire lives and never get up in the morning saying to themselves..I made a difference..I got to do something I love and something that matters, and that is FUN. So, tonight, thank you for your hard work. Thanks for doing hard things. But can you also remember to have some fun? You deserve it.”
This year, five local news outlets won duPont Silver Batons for investigative reporting with impact. The stations are: Cox Media Group, who with KFF Health News uncovered how millions of Americans were forced to repay billions of dollars in Social Security overpayments; KXAS-TV NBC, Dallas-Ft. Worth & Scott Friedman for a 14-month-long series that investigated the high numbers of traffic fatalities in Dallas; WNYC & Gothamist, for a podcast episode with formerly incarcerated women from Rikers Island who spoke for the first time about how the power imbalance in prison can lead to sexual assault; WXIA-TV, Atlanta & Rebecca Lindstrom, for a series about how well-intentioned medical professionals trained to detect child abuse can make assumptions that lead to innocent parents losing their children; and WXYZ-TV, Detroit & Ross Jones, for an investigation that exposed how disgraced police officers in Michigan were routinely offered jobs in neighboring departments.
International reporting was honored with four duPont Awards. FRONTLINE FEATURES and The Associated Press won for a gripping, immersive film set on Ukraine’s eastern front; PBS News Hour won for a series of reports in Syria after the sudden fall of the Assad regime; Business Insider was honored for the first time for a short documentary about the devastating impact the war in Gaza has had on small businesses; Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting with Al Jazeera English was honored for a podcast with the voices of doctors who witnessed disturbing patterns of children killed by gunfire during the war in Gaza; and Paramount+ for a powerful documentary that pieced together the minute-by-minute story of the October 7 Nova Festival terrorist attack.
ABC News, CBS News and NBC News were all honored at the ceremony. CBS News 60 Minutes won a duPont Award for reporting that revealed new information about the 238 Venezuelan migrants the Trump administration sent to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March 2025. NBC News won for an investigation into medical institutions and body brokers who dissected and sold the bodies of hundreds of unclaimed individuals–often poor, homeless, or mentally ill.
In addition to the 15 Silver Batons, the duPont jury also awarded a Special Citation to ABC News for The ABC News Presidential Debate live broadcast in September 2024. It was the only opportunity for Americans to see the two candidates debate.
Documentaries about critical issues from Bloomberg News, HBO Max and Storyline were honored with Silver Batons. Bloomberg News won for the first time with DCTV for a documentary that followed a team of lawyers battling Snapchat, Meta, and YouTube to spotlight the devastating impact social media platforms have on teenagers and their families; HBO Max unraveled the complex story of a serial sex abuser employed for decades by The Ohio State University; and Storyline embedded with several right-wing activists through the 2020 campaign season that culminated with the violent January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Founded in 1942, the duPont-Columbia Awards uphold the highest standards in journalism by honoring winners annually, informing the public about those journalists' contributions, and supporting journalism education and innovation. For over 80 years, the duPont Awards have honored many of the most important stories of our time from the Civil Rights era and Vietnam to racial reckoning and local accountability reporting. Since 1968, the duPont Awards have been administered by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. A jury made up of industry veterans selected 15 winners and one special citation. The pool of entries includes traditional national and local news outlets from across the country, as well as streaming platforms.
The 2026 duPont-Columbia Jurors are: Mark Lukasiewicz (Jury Chair), Ron Allen, Juan Manuel Benítez, Cheryl Gould, Lee Kamlet, Kate O’Brian, Robert Smith, and Julianne Welby.
The 2026 duPont-Columbia Award winners are:
15 Silver Batons:
2000 Meters to Andriivka
FRONTLINE FEATURES, The Associated Press
In a conflict rife with high-tech tools, this gripping, immersive film set on Ukraine’s eastern front vividly portrayed the human cost and underscored another dimension–the futility and frustration of hand-to-hand combat and trench warfare.
The Fall of Assad
PBS News Hour
This comprehensive series of deeply reported stories from across Syria added context about a country confronting deadly horrors perpetrated and hidden for decades by the Assad regime.
Homegrown
Storyline
A raw, behind-the-scenes documentary took viewers inside the buildup of grievance and political passion fueling several right-wing activists through the 2020 campaign season, culminating with the violent January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
He was Officer 'Champagne' at Rikers.
24 Women Accuse Him of Sexual Assault in Jail.
WNYC | Gothamist
In this podcast episode, formerly incarcerated women from Rikers Island spoke for the first time about how the power imbalance in prison can lead to sexual assault, and how the resulting pain can live on long after the survivors have served their time.
Shielded
WXYZ-TV, Detroit & Ross Jones
A two-year-long local investigation exposed how disgraced police officers in Michigan were routinely offered jobs in neighboring departments, where they continued to abuse their power.
Can't Look Away
Bloomberg News | DCTV
This carefully researched documentary followed a team of lawyers battling Snapchat, Meta, and YouTube to spotlight the devastating impact social media platforms have on teenagers and their families.
Surviving Ohio State
HBO Max
This feature-length documentary unraveled the complex story, bravely told by the male victims, of Dr. Richard Strauss, a physician and serial sex abuser employed for decades by The Ohio State University.
Help That Harms
WXIA-TV, Atlanta & Rebecca Lindstrom
This shocking local investigative series exposed how well-intentioned medical professionals trained to detect child abuse can make assumptions that lead to innocent parents losing their children.
Social Security’s Secret
Cox Media Group
KFF Health News
Eight local TV stations joined together with KFF Health News to uncover how millions of Americans were forced to repay billions of dollars in Social Security overpayments, in many cases money they legitimately received from the government in the first place.
Kids Under Fire in Gaza
Reveal, PRX | Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English
This podcast collaboration gathered the voices of doctors who witnessed disturbing patterns of children killed by gunfire during the war in Gaza, and examined the political factors that shield Israel from accountability.
Satellite Images Track Four Gaza Businesses Upended by War
Business Insider
Using innovative production techniques that combine satellite imagery, pre-war footage, and self-recorded content from Gaza, this short documentary highlighted the disastrous effects of the war on businesses and their owners.
Driven to Death
KXAS-TV NBC, Dallas/Ft. Worth & Scott Friedman
A 14-month-long series investigated the high numbers of traffic fatalities in Dallas caused by major failures in street design and traffic enforcement, and then highlighted innovative solutions.
Dealing the Dead
NBC News
This year-long exposé revealed how medical institutions and body brokers dissected and sold the bodies of hundreds of unclaimed individuals–often poor, homeless, or mentally ill–without family consent or knowledge.
We Will Dance Again
Paramount+
This powerful documentary pieced together the minute-by-minute story of the October 7 Nova Festival terrorist attack, meticulously mapping hundreds of hours of video shot both by Hamas body cameras and by the victims themselves.
60 Minutes: The Prisoners
CBS News
60 Minutes reporting revealed new information about the 238 Venezuelan migrants that the Trump administration sent to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March 2025, including the fact that only one quarter of them had criminal records.
Special Citation:
The ABC News Presidential Debate: Race for the White House
ABC News
The duPont Jury awards a Special Citation to ABC News for The ABC News Presidential Debate. In a unique electoral cycle, this singular production provided a vital opportunity–the only opportunity–for Americans to see these two candidates debate. The program was meticulously prepared, skillfully and fairly moderated, and most importantly, made widely and freely available to all networks and platforms, ensuring that it reached the greatest possible number of voters.
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