The University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications announced the winners of the 2026 Mirror Awards, which recognize excellence in media industry reporting.

The top prizes were announced Tuesday night at an event in New York City that also featured a conversation with NBC News journalist and “Dateline” anchor Lester Holt, this year’s recipient of the Fred Dressler Leadership Award.

Cheryl Wills ’89, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and anchor for Spectrum News NY1, served as master of ceremonies.

Finalists were announced March 31. Chosen by a panel of journalists and journalism educators, the winners of the juried categories are:

Best Single Article/Story

Jesse Barron
The New York Times Magazine
“A Teen in Love With a Chatbot Killed Himself. Can the Chatbot Be Held Responsible?”

Best Profile

Antonia Hitchens
The New Yorker
“Under the Influence”

Best Commentary

Pamela Alma Weymouth
The Nation Magazine
“My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon—Jeff Bezos Should Take Note”

Best Media Newsletter

Oliver Darcy
Status

• “Inside the ’60 Minutes’ Storm”
• “The Art of the Settlement”
• “Canceling Kimmel”

Special Topic: Best Coverage of the Future of Late-Night Television

Kayla Cobb and Adam Chitwood
TheWrap
“The Future of Late Night Comedy: What’s Lost When – Not if – It Goes Away”

John M. Higgins Award for Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting

Josh Dzieza
The Verge
“How Wikipedia Survives While The Rest of The Internet Breaks“

Additionally, the following special awards were formally presented:

Fred Dressler Leadership Award

Lester Holt
NBC News award-winning journalist and “Dateline” anchor

Lorraine Branham Award

The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education

About the Mirror Awards

Established by the Newhouse School in 2006, the Mirror Awards honor the writers, reporters and editors who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit. The competition is open to anyone who conducts reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industries in a format intended for a mass audience. Eligible work includes print, broadcast and online editorial content focusing on the development or distribution of news and entertainment. Winners are chosen by a group of journalists and journalism educators.