Foundation Chairman Red Cavaney (L) and Trustee Carla A. Hills (R) present the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2016 to Gregory Korte

Gregory Korte, White House Reporter for USA TODAY, has won the 30th Annual Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency. The $5,000 award recognizes journalists whose high standards for accuracy and substance help foster a better public understanding of the Presidency.

The 30th Annual Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Distinguished reporting in 2016 will be presented by Red Cavaney, Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at the Foundation’s Annual Dinner on Monday, June 5, 2017, at The Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C.

When announcing their decision to award Gregory Korte, the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2016, the judges issued the following statement:

“Although televised briefings provide a public face to White House journalism, most significant White House reporting occurs behind the scenes and requires the development of sources and data not universally provided.  Almost by definition, this work is solitary and difficult, sometimes producing information that authorities are not interested in publicizing.  In three years covering the White House for USA Today, Gregory Korte has developed a reporting strategy that relies less on what officials say, and more on what they actually do.  His work has included acclaimed reports unveiling forms of presidential executive action, and the use of state and local government to pursue an administration’s policy aims.  In 2016, using an array of research tools, Korte produced a series of articles on the use of the President’s pardon power, the increased employment of lower-risk sentence commutation, and unintended consequences that resulted.  He also generated unique reports examining diverse White House practices, ranging from signing ceremonies to flag-lowering procedures for government buildings.  For his excellent work following a path less traveled, Gregory Korte has earned the 2016 Gerald R. Ford Award for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency.”

Gregory Korte is a reporter in USA TODAY’s Washington Bureau, covering the White House as part of a two-person team. Much of Gregory’s original reporting focuses on executive power and the presidency and makes extensive use of the Freedom of Information Act and database reporting.
Gregory came to the White House beat in 2014 after four years covering Congress and politics for USA TODAY, writing about orphan earmarks, the IRS scrutiny of Tea Party groups and the politics of congressional service academy nominations. He has been interviewed about his reporting on NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, the PBS NewsHour, and Fox News Channel.

Before that, he spent most of his career as a City Hall reporter, covering city government and politics at the Lorain (Ohio) Morning Journal, the Akron Beacon Journal, and the Cincinnati Enquirer. He’s a veteran of many quixotic and unsuccessful political campaigns, including a boy band singer’s run for mayor of Cincinnati, Jerry Springer’s run for Senate, and Mitt Romney’s run for the White House.

Gregory’s previous national awards include the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, the Benjamin Fine Award for education reporting, the Niles Cushing Dolbeare Award for housing reporting and the Fund for American Studies Excellence in Economic Journalism Award. He’s also received dozens of state and local awards for investigative, explanatory and feature reporting. In 2007, he was named the best reporter in Ohio by the Society of Professional Journalists.

A native of Cincinnati, he is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and daughter.

For more information about the annual prize or previous winners contact:
Joe Calvaruso
Executive Director
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5353
(616) 254-0397, jcalvaruso@38foundation.org
or visit our website at www.geraldrfordfoundation.org

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