2016 Hitchens Prize Winner - Marty Baron

The Foundation is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2016 Hitchens Prize is Marty Baron, Executive Editor of the Washington Post.

The Hitchens Prize is awarded annually to an author or journalist who, in the spirit of the late Christopher Hitchens, demonstrates a commitment to free expression and to a pursuit of the truth without regard to personal or professional consequence. Mr. Baron’s long career in journalism meets that standard in every respect. His work as editor at a number of the nation’s premier newspapers reflects dedication to a core mission of reporting, a responsibility not to lead a readership but to inform it. Papers under his guidance have never hesitated to take on difficult, controversial stories, have demonstrated the value of local coverage, and have grounded their reporting in dogged, often innovative pursuit of the facts, however distant, unpleasant or hidden.

Mr. Baron has influenced a generation of journalists and established a model for forceful, fact-driven reporting that other papers may hopefully follow. In sum, we are proud to join the list of prize-awarding organizations that have recognized the quality and importance of his work.

The Hitchens Prize will be presented to Mr. Baron at a dinner in New York later this Fall.