The 2026 Cabot Gold Medal will be awarded to journalists Daniel Coronell, Leila Guerriero, Kate Linthicum and Luz Mely Reyes, Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism said.
This year’s Maria Moors Cabot Awards will honor journalists who have strengthened the profession from different fronts — from investigative reporting on corruption to narrative journalism, international correspondence, journalism entrepreneurship and the defense of press freedom.
The winners of the 2026 Cabot Gold Medal, which recognizes outstanding journalists and media organizations in the Americas, are Daniel Coronell (Colombia and the U.S.), Leila Guerriero (Argentina), Kate Linthicum (United States) and Luz Mely Reyes (Venezuela), according to a July 29 statement from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, which presents the award.
The jury also awarded three special mentions this year: to Jan Martínez Ahrens, director of the Spanish newspaper El País; David Brooks, a correspondent for the Mexican newspaper La Jornada; and Ricardo Trotti, former executive director of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).
“This year, the Cabot Award jury selected a truly extraordinary group of journalists, with exceptional breadth and depth in their coverage of the Americas,” said Rosental Alves, chair of the jury and director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, which publishes LatAm Journalism Review. “Their careers set a standard for journalists around the world; investigations that have had an impact; writing that illuminates our world; and courage that inspires us at this challenging moment for the press.”
Investigative journalism is central to the careers of all four Cabot Gold Medal winners.
Columbia University recognized Daniel Coronell’s four-decade career investigating corruption, human rights violations and political violence, work that has led to legal probes and forced him into exile after death threats.
According to Columbia University's statement, the jury said Coronell's work at media outlets in both Colombia and the United States “has not only deepened understanding across the Americas through exceptional journalism, but has also set a new standard by establishing accountability and the defense of truth at all costs in both principle and practice.”
The jury, meanwhile, said Leila Guerriero's award recognizes narrative journalism as a tool for understanding the region. The jury highlighted how her work has explored issues such as memory, inequality and violence through chronicles and profiles built on “rigorous, patient, and revelatory journalism.”
“Since 2002, [Guerriero] has trained generations of chroniclers in workshops and master's programs across the region and Europe,” the jury said. “And in an era that prizes speed over understanding, Guerriero insists on pausing, on listening, and on complexity.”
L to R: Journalists Jan Martínez Ahrens, David Brooks and Ricardo Trotti. (Photos: Courtesy of Columbia University)
International correspondence was also recognized this year. Columbia University highlighted Kate Linthicum's coverage of Latin America for the U.S. newspaper Los Angeles Times, which connects regional developments — such as the rise of populism, the erosion of press freedom and the expansion of violent organized crime — with their effects in the United States.
“Her stories are well-reported, deeply sourced and beautifully written,” the jury said. “They transport readers and capture some of the biggest currents in the region.”
The recognition of Luz Mely Reyes highlights another challenge facing dozens of newsrooms across the region today: practicing journalism under authoritarian governments. In addition to highlighting her coverage of Chavismo and Venezuela's crisis from a people-centered perspective, the jury praised Reyes' leadership at Efecto Cocuyo, one of the few independent digital news outlets that still has journalists reporting on the ground in Venezuela.
“What sets her work apart is not only its consistency or courage — qualities she shares with many colleagues working under adverse conditions — but something harder to define: an ability to read complex situations and capture, with precision and empathy, the human dimension of the people at their center.,” the jury said of Reyes, who has been in exile since 2023 after years of threats related to her work.
Jan Martínez Ahrens received a Special Citation both for his career as a reporter and for promoting the expansion of the Spanish newspaper El País in Latin America through local newsrooms in several countries.
David Brooks also received a Special Citation in recognition of more than three decades spent explaining U.S. politics and society as a correspondent for the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, while Ricardo Trotti was recognized for his work at the helm of the IAPA documenting attacks against journalists, fighting impunity and promoting press freedom across the continent.
The Maria Moors Cabot Awards were established in 1938 and are considered the oldest international journalism awards. Each winner will receive a gold medal and a $5,000 prize at a ceremony to be held Oct. 8 at Columbia University in New York.
