Steven Thomma, White House Reporter for the McClatchy Newspapers, has won the 24th annual Gerald R. Ford 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. This year, the award will be presented by Steve Ford, son of the late President Gerald R. Ford and Chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, at a National Press Club luncheon in June. Following the presentation of the award, General Brent Scowcroft will address the audience.
When announcing their decision to award Steven Thomma the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2010, the judges issued the following statement.
“In his reporting Steven Thomma demonstrates a clear understanding that, not the first year, but the second year in office for a new President is the more accurate measure of his leadership, his management of the complexities ofthe Federal executive offices, his exercise of Constitutional powers, his way of communicating to the American people, and his standing in the public mind. Thomma not only met the important criteria of timeliness, clarity of presentation, insight, and conciseness, but he also made excellent use of expert sources to provide a layer of analysis that stood out among his competition. His writing is clear, based on solid facts, and lightened with engaging inventiveness. In every respect, the judges found Thomma’s reporting on the Presidency in 2010 outstanding.”
The judges for this year’s contest were:
Chair, James M. Cannon, former National Affairs Editor of Newsweek and former Assistant to President Ford for Domestic Policy; Hal Bruno, retired Political Director of ABC News and formerly Chief Political Correspondent for Newsweek Magazine; John P. McConnell, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Speechwriter to the President and Vice President; Candice Nelson, Associate Professor of Government and Director of American University’s Campaign Management Institute; Mark Rozell, Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University.
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation sponsors the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency and Distinguished Reporting on National Defense to recognize and encourage thoughtful, insightful, and enterprising work by journalists covering the presidency and national defense. The Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation whose programs are supported entirely by contributions and bequests in an effort to honor President Ford’s sustained commitment to public service.
For more information about the annual prize or previous winners contact: Joe Calvaruso, 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 https://geraldrfordfoundation.org .
This year’s winner:
Steven Thomma covers the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. He’s covered presidential politics as the Chief Political Correspondent and covered the White House during the presidencies of Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He’s reported from more than 40 countries.
Thomma has covered Washington since 1987, first as a regional reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, then covering national politics and the White House for Knight Ridder, and then politics and the White House for McClatchy.
He won the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Aldo Beckman Award for distinguished White House coverage for his campaign work in 2000, and the National Press Club’s award for best regional reporting in Washington in 1994.
A native of Chicago, Steve graduated from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. He started his career at the fabled City News Bureau of Chicago. He also worked at the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette in Indiana and the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota befo~e coming to Washington. He lives in Virginia, but still cheers for the Bears, Bulls and White Sox.
McClatchy publishes more than 30 newspapers, including the Charlotte Observer, Columbia State, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, Raleigh News & Observer and Sacramento Bee. McClatchy stories also are distributed to more than 400 newspapers through the McClatchy-Tribune news service.
