David Lynch Award For Excellence in Congressional Reporting
Congratulations to Melissa Nann Burke of The Detroit News, 2024 David Lynch Award winner for Regional Reporters
Melissa’s submission stood out for its depth and balance. Her story, “Detroit congressman Shri Thanedar spending big on TV ads, billboards using taxpayer funds” was especially impressive. She demystified the little-known practice of "franking" revealing how taxpayer dollars fund congressional communications – focusing on one wealthy lawmaker’s particularly liberal use.
Click here to read Burke's entry
Honorable Mentions go to Matthew Choir with the Texas Tribune and Mark Weiner with the Syracuse Post-Standard. Choi’s well-written stories pulled back the curtain on the Texas delegation, giving readers a better sense of the personalities who drive policy.
Weiner’s excellent entry revealed how a New York congressman failed to perform basic functions of his job, blending voices from the lawmaker’ New York district
and the Capitol to describe an absent leader.
The David Lynch Memorial Reporting Award is given annually to a Washington-based daily print reporter. It recognizes excellence in coverage of Congress from a regional perspective. Both the congressional link and the regional element are required.
David Lynch covered Washington -- with an emphasis on Congress -- for the Buffalo News and for the Griffin-Larrabee Bureau, which served daily newspapers in New England, Alaska and South Carolina. Later, he ran a one-man bureau, with daily newspaper clients in Iowa and Nebraska.
He was a longtime member of the House and Senate Press Galleries. He served on the Standing Committee of Correspondents, which is elected by reporters to administer the Galleries. Gallery members and David's widow, Debra Strauss Lynch, created the award after David's death in 1998.
Donations from David's colleagues in journalism, his personal friends and his family are the source of funding for the award. The award trust fund and the award ceremony are managed by the Washington Press Club Foundation. The Standing Committee of Correspondents manages the judging.
Information on the 2024 Award:
DEADLINE for the 2024 will be announced in May, 2025. There are no exceptions and late entries will not be considered.
The award is open to any daily newspaper, online publication or news service reporter who qualifies for membership in the Congressional Press Galleries.
The Award: $2,000 and recognition at the Washington Press Club Foundation’s Congressional Dinner.
Judging Standards: “Regional reporting” is defined as “work that provides insight into how actions on Capitol Hill impact the local community” and “coverage that provides a better understanding of the inner workings of Congress, with emphasis on the local delegation.” Judges will look for “thorough and incisive regional coverage of Congress” and “will take into consideration the clear, engaging nature of the writing, and the reporter’s ability to explain difficult and complex subjects to a hometown audience.” Coverage of House and Senate election campaigns are elibigle.
Format for Entries: For stories published from November 13, 2023 through November 10, 2024. An entry will consist of no more than four stories. An entry should be submitted as a PDF file and emailed to Samantha_Hulley@saa.senate.gov. Entries must show date of publication and evidence of publication in a daily-news product. Stories must be single-byline. Stories with more than one byline will not be considered. A letter explaining the impact of the entry or any special circumstances of the reporting is allowed but not required. For PDF entries contact Samantha Hulley for instructions.