FRONTLINE's Editor-in-Chief Wins Prestigious Journalism Award: A Recognition of Her Visionary Leadership

A Journalist's Journalist: FRONTLINE's Editor-in-Chief Receives Prestigious Award

Columbia Journalism School announced that Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE, has been named the winner of the 2024 John Chancellor Excellence in Journalism Award. This prestigious award is presented annually to a journalist “with courage and integrity for cumulative professional accomplishments.”

Aronson-Rath's career spans over 25 years in journalism, during which she has served as a reporter, producer, correspondent, and now, at the helm of FRONTLINE, the award-winning PBS documentary series produced at GBH in Boston. Her “accomplishments have earned her the industry’s highest praise,” according to Columbia Journalism School.

Leading the Way in Investigative Reporting

In her role as editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE, Aronson-Rath oversees the acclaimed series’ investigative reporting and editorial vision, executive producing more than 20 in-depth documentaries each year on critical issues facing the United States and the world.

Her leadership has pushed the boundaries of the PBS documentary series and taken it to new heights. Aronson-Rath spearheaded FRONTLINE’s expansion into theatrical documentaries, earning an Academy Award® for FRONTLINE and The Associated Press’ 2023 feature-length documentary, 20 Days in Mariupol. She also launched the series’ first original podcast, The FRONTLINE Dispatch; led an ongoing charge for transparency in journalism as an antidote to misinformation with the Transparency Project; and experimented with new and innovative ways to tell stories through virtual reality, augmented reality and interactive documentaries.

Making Journalism Accessible

Guided by public media’s mission to educate and inform the American public, Aronson-Rath has also made FRONTLINE’s storytelling more accessible than ever. Today, the series reaches millions of viewers on YouTube. Her work has earned her accolades from prominent figures in the journalism community, including Steve Engelberg of ProPublica and Dawn Porter of Trilogy Films.

A Legacy of Excellence

The John Chancellor Award honors the legacy of pioneering television correspondent and longtime NBC News Anchor John Chancellor, best remembered for his distinguished reporting on civil rights, politics and election campaigns. Selected by a committee of eight distinguished journalists, Raney Aronson-Rath will receive the 2024 award with a $25,000 honorarium. The award will be presented at a ceremony held by Columbia Journalism School on Nov. 14, 2024.

This award is a testament to Aronson-Rath's unwavering commitment to journalistic excellence and her ability to inspire and lead a team of dedicated professionals. It is a well-deserved recognition of her impact on the field of investigative reporting and her dedication to informing the public on critical issues.