Reuters wins Toner Prize for reports on intimidation of Trump’s opponents

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(Reuters) -The staff of Reuters has received the 2025 Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting for its coverage of the extraordinary campaign of threats and intimidation against opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election season.

The Toner Prizes, administered by Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, recognize U.S. national and local political reporting that illuminates the electoral process and engages the public in democracy.

Reporters Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, Aram Roston and Joseph Tanfani were recognized for a series of reports called “The Politics of Menace.” The articles tracked the culture of fear that pervaded last year’s race for the presidency, including calls for violence against judges and others perceived as Trump’s enemies; the chilling of dissent within the Republican Party; and the ascent of the Proud Boys and other far-right actors in American political life. 

The stories helped drive a national discussion about the vitriol and menace employed by Trump’s Make America Great Again movement against those it views as enemies. Jack Smith, the special prosecutor tasked with investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, cited Reuters’ reporting in support of his motion for a limited gag order against Trump in proceedings over the president’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

The Toner prizes, established in 2009, honor the memory of Robin Toner, the first woman to serve as a national political correspondent for the New York Times.

(Written by Jason Szep. Edited by Michael Williams.)