The Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Journalism was established in 2015 to recognize a journalist who has exhibited excellence in reporting and a determination to present the truth, often against tough odds.

The award is named in honor of former Reader’s Digest editor-in-chief, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, whose distinguished journalism career spanned four decades. In addition to leading Reader’s Digest during its prime, Tomlinson served as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and chairman of the Board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He was also one of Ronald Reagan’s key lieutenants in bringing about the collapse of Soviet communism, having served as the president’s director of the Voice of America (VOA) during the 1980s.

Tomlinson, who passed away in 2014, served as a judge of the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship program, as well as a member of the TFAS Board of Regents and the Board of Visitors for the TFAS Journalism + Communications summer program track.

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award Recipients