$5,000 Award for Integrity in News Reporting

Judging Criteria

Accuracy and Fact-checking

• All factual claims should be supported by evidence.
• Information has been verified through multiple independent and reliable sources.

Balance and Multiple Perspectives

• On complex issues, the report should present multiple viewpoints without favoring one.
• The amount of attention given to different sides should be proportional to the weight of the issue.

Neutral Language and Tone

• The language used should be objective and informative, not sensationalized or emotionally charged.
• The report should avoid loaded adjectives, adverbs, or framing that tell the reader how to interpret the facts or feelings.

Sourcing and Transparency — Reporters should clearly identify their sources, ideally with verifiable details (e.g., name, position, institution) rather than vague references like “leading doctors say.”
Separation of News and Opinion — The entry must be a straight news report and not an editorial, opinion piece, or column.

Completeness and Context

• The entry should provide enough context and background information for the audience to
• understand the broader implications of the story.
• It should cover “the whole story,” not just the parts of a story that support a particular narrative.

About the Center for Integrity in News Reporting(CFINR)

The Center for Integrity in News Reporting was created to address the public’s declining trust in news reporting. Gallup polls show that trust, which was around 70 percent in the 1970s, has now fallen to 28 percent. CFINR aims to improve public trust by encouraging and rewarding impartial, objective, and fair journalism. By recognizing exemplary reporting, CFINR hopes to restore the standards that once earned widespread trust.

CFINR was founded in 2024 by Walter E. Hussman, Jr., chairman of WEHCO Media, Inc., which operates eleven daily newspapers and cable television companies across six states. CFINR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, governed by a Board of Trustees, all of whom have extensive news experience.

“This Iowa partnership builds on the Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s rapidly expanding state awards initiative. Through the support of the SNPA Foundation, the Center established annual $5,000 Awards of News Reporting Excellence in 14 Southern and Southeastern states. A subsequent grant from the Stanton Foundation expanded the program to all six New England states; Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Donors John and Jane McCoy support the state of Ohio. And with the generous support of the Adler/Schermer Foundation, Iowa now joins this growing national effort to recognize and reward objective, impartial, news reporting, through partnerships currently with 22 state press associations. We are grateful to have the Iowa Newspaper Association as a partner in this effort and look forward to recognizing outstanding news reporting from across the state. We believe these state partnerships play an important role in encouraging reporting that is fair, objective, transparent, and worthy of the public’s trust.”
Rufus Friday
Executive Director
Center For Integrity In News Reporting

About the SNPA Foundation
The SNPA Foundation was established in 1968 to provide educational programs for newspaper members of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA). Since its inception, the SNPA Foundation’s seminars, webinars, literacy programs and Traveling Campus have reached more than 100,000 newspaper employees.

CONTACT: Call Jana Shepherd at (515)422-9051 or email jshepherd@inanews.com with questions.