CJF Special Citation – Martin Baron

CJF honours Washington Post’s Martin Baron with Special Citation
– View the video tribute
– View the presentation and acceptance speech

Toronto – March 18, 2019 – Martin Baron, the multi-award-winning executive editor of The Washington Post, will be honoured with the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Special Citation in recognition of his extraordinary contribution and fearless approach to journalism. He will be celebrated at the CJF Awards on June 13 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.
“Marty Baron has been steadfast in his commitment to the highest standards of journalism over his storied career,” says Natalie Turvey, president and executive director of the CJF. “In these challenging times for the media, his integrity and relentless pursuit of the truth have resulted in important journalism that has had a profound global impact. His guiding philosophy is simple. As he is fond of saying, ‘Our mission is to try to find the truth . . . and that’s what we try to do every day.’ We are delighted to recognize his unparalleled editorial leadership.” Baron will attend the gala to accept the Special Citation, which is awarded at the discretion of the CJF.

In a career that includes stints at some of the leading U.S. news outlets, his influence has been widespread. Newsrooms under his leadership have won 14 Pulitzer Prizes: seven at The Washington Post, including one for revealing secret surveillance by the National Security Agency; six at The Boston Globe, including one for exposing a pattern of concealing clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, coverage portrayed years later in the Academy Award-winning movie Spotlight; and one at the Miami Herald, for its coverage of the raid to recover Elián González, the Cuban boy who was at the centre of a fierce immigration and custody dispute. He has also been recognized with a number of awards for his editorial leadership.

As the The Post’s executive editor since 2013, Baron oversees its print and digital news operations with a staff of more than 800 journalists. Prior to The Post, he was editor of The Boston Globe for 11 years and held top editing positions at The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald, where he began his career