L.A. Times Wins National Press Foundation Award for Coverage of Sen. Feinstein
The Los Angeles Times has earned the National Press Foundation’s 2023 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress for its reporting on Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s final months. The award, created in honor of the late Republican senator from Illinois, was announced on Nov. 16. The award aims to recognize journalists whose work shows thoughtful appraisal and insight into the workings of the U.S. Congress.
Times Staff Writers Noah Bierman, Benjamin Oreskes and Kevin Rector, reporter Melanie Mason and freelance reporter Cameron Joseph reported on the late senator’s failing health, the visible decline in her mental acuity and how her illness affected the nation.
The competition’s judges praised the series of stories as “tough reporting that was also sensitive.”
Among the reports on Feinstein’s final chapter, The Times covered her absence from the Senate; the dependency on her doting aides; and the lawsuits filed by Feinstein and her daughter that revealed a dispute over how to pay for her medical care.
“The L.A. Times served its hometown readership with those stories,” the judges said. “It’s easy to be unkind or callous. [The reporters] raised legitimate questions, but in a really human way – and that is hard to do.”
The competition judges also noted that the series combined “fascinating … behind the scenes” reporting with “engaging” photojournalism and design to create “the total package.”
The award will be presented at the 2024 National Press Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15, 2024. To learn more about the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress visit nationalpress.org.
