Benjamin Guggenheim Accepts Everett McKinley Dirksen Award

Benjamin Guggenheim of Politico accepted the National Press Foundation's 2024 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress at NPF's Awards Dinner on Feb. 20, 2025. NPF judges recognized Guggenheim’s investigation into tax-advantaged retirement savings legislation as well-researched, digestible and easy to read. In the wake of overwhelming bipartisan support for the Secure 2.0 bill, Guggenheim turned his attention to retirement industry lobbying and campaign funding. “It took what could have been a very good accountability story about the inner workings of Congress and the influence of lobbyists on Capitol Hill to another level by taking readers into offices where some major policy decisions are crafted and to cocktail parties where deals are discussed,” judges said. “It not only showed the power of the industry’s influence, but explained its impact, its relevance and its reach to readers … [including] how policies led to even more disparities between low-income retirees and wealthy ones.” The $5,000 Dirksen award was created in 1980 in honor of the late Republican senator from Illinois. It recognizes journalists whose work shows thoughtful appraisal and insight into the workings of the U.S. Congress. The most recent winners of the Dirksen include the Los Angeles Times for it’s coverage of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s health; Christa Case Bryant of the Christian Science Monitor for her coverage of the diversity of Hill staff; and Lisa Desjardins of PBS NewsHour for her coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection. NPF is solely responsible for the content. This video was produced within the Evelyn Y. Davis studios.