The Nyhan Prize for Political Journalism is given by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy in memory of longtime Boston Globe columnist and former Shorenstein Center fellow David Nyhan. It honors a journalist who covers politics and social policy in the public interest, and embodies David’s style of journalism that speaks to – and for – everyone.
This year’s winner, Shawn Donnan, is senior writer for Bloomberg News, where he covers economics with an emphasis on where policy meets people and the real world. His reporting appears across the organization’s many platforms from the Bloomberg Terminal to Bloomberg Businessweek magazine. He was previously World Trade Editor and World News Editor at the Financial Times, and started his career at the Associated Press.
The 2022 Nyhan Prize selection committee, which included Professor Thomas Patterson, Nick Nyhan, James F. Smith, and former Nyhan Prize winner Cynthia Tucker, applauded Donnan’s bright, lyrical writing style and dedication to covering the true impacts of economic policy and political debates on everyday people.
Donnan was joined in conversation with Cynthia Tucker, Pulitzer and Nyhan Prize-winning columnist and Journalist in Residence at the University of South Alabama. They discussed the craft of quality journalism in today’s political and media landscape, and the importance of the accessible, relatable political and policy reporting that the Nyhan prize celebrates.