NEW YORK – March 25, 2024 – THE CITY, an independent nonprofit newsroom dedicated to serving the people of New York, is proud to announce that it has been awarded an honorable mention in the Toner Prizes for Excellence in Local Political Reporting for its investigation into Mayor Eric Adams’ fundraising for his mayoral campaign. 

The investigation, done in collaboration with nonprofit newsroom Documented, spanned 7 months and raised crucial questions about the integrity of fundraising efforts and exposed potential loopholes in the city’s public matching funds program. 

The reporting team of George Joseph, Bianca Pallaro, Haidee Chu, April Xu of Documented, Tom Robbins, Katie Honan, and Yoav Gonen uncovered multiple straw donors to the mayor’s 2021 campaign. 

The stories that garnered recognition include:

• New Questions Arise Over Adams Donors: One Says She Was Reimbursed, Others Say They Never Gave
• Adams Campaign Repeatedly Ignored Regulators’ Demands to Identify ers Behind $300,000 in Contributions
• Mayor’s Asian Affairs Liaison Raised Big Money—and Big Questions About Her Conduct
• Department of Investigation Opens Inquiry into a Key Adams Aide, Winnie Greco

Using data analysis, extensive research, and shoe leather reporting, the team identified suspicious patterns in campaign contributions, including the use of money orders and similar handwriting on contribution cards. Their multilingual and culturally-informed journalism played a pivotal role in uncovering false donations and potential coercion.

“This recognition highlights THE CITY’s ongoing efforts to hold power able, inform the public, and contribute meaningfully to important discussions on political transparency and ability,” said Richard Kim, THE CITY’s editor-in-chief. 

“Dogged work connecting the dots and exposing the potential breadth of a problem a federal indictment first put into focus,” said Toner judge, Devin Dwyer, ABC News’ senior Washington reporter who leads network coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court. “Illumination of how [a] public matching funds program may now be abused and exploited, raising the stakes for candidates, their campaigns and the electoral process.”

“Wow. This is insane. Each of the stories breaks new ground and is vividly written,” said Toner judge Christina Bellantoni, a professor at USC Annenberg’s Media Center and a former editor at the Los Angeles Times. “The reporting is detailed, with each major claim backed up. It also has a clear impact on the city.”

THE CITY’s Greg David was also recognized for his reporting on New York City’s economy,  winning the 2023 Best in Business Awards for economy reporting in the small news division.

The Best in Business Awards recognizes the best in business journalism globally and is organized by The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing – the oldest organization honoring excellence in the industry. 

David’s coverage of New York City’s economy provided in-depth analysis and insight into the pace of the city’s recovery as New Yorkers adjusted to a post-pandemic world that saw slower-than-expected job market.

The judges applauded his work noting, “The judges are awarding Greg David for his nuanced, well-sourced and empirically compelling analysis of trends and problems in New York City’s economy, providing a depth and quality of coverage that readers might not otherwise receive.”

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ABOUT THE CITY: THE CITY (thecity.nyc) is a nonprofit digital news platform whose mission is to produce free-to-read, local reporting that serves the people of New York City. Launched in 2019 to fill critical local reporting gaps, THE CITY covers New York’s uncovered neighborhoods, holds the powerful to , and helps make sense of the greatest city in the world. THE CITY Scoop, its flagship newsletter, is delivered weekdays and Sunday, while additional newsletters serve New Yorkers with news they can use on housing, jobs and civic engagement.

ABOUT THE TONER PRIZES: Established in 2009, the Toner Prizes recognize and reinforce quality, fact-based political reporting—work that illuminates the electoral process, reveals the politics of policy and engages the public in democracy. The awards, along with the Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting at the Newhouse School, are named after Robin Toner ’76, the first woman to serve as national political correspondent of The New York Times.