Writer for the Wyoming Truth Wins Award from the National Press Club

Jacob Gardenswartz, the Wyoming Truth’s political correspondent based in Washington, D.C., has won the National Press Club’s 2023 Sandy Hume Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Journalism.

The award honors excellence and objectivity in political coverage by reporters 34 years old or younger. It is named in memory of Sandy Hume, the reporter for The Hill who broke the story of the aborted 1997 coup against House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

“Whether filing from the Capitol, White House, campaign trail or among the constituencies he covers, Jacob’s coverage has gained traction in Wyoming and beyond,” editor Cynthia Hanson wrote in her letter nominating Gardenswartz for the award. “He’s pushed policymakers to answer tough questions, fought for access for regional news outlets at the White House and Capitol and occasionally even scooped the competition — all while working alongside journalists dozens of years his senior.”

Gardenswartz, 27, joined the Wyoming Truth in June 2022. He is the only Washington, D.C.-based correspondent regularly reporting from the White House and Capitol Hill for a Wyoming news organization.

Gardenswartz’s coverage of Wyoming’s U.S. House race — and of Washington’s impact on Wyoming more broadly — helped readers synthesize the important issues and make informed decisions as they headed to the ballot box in 2022. His five stories submitted for the National Press Club award included a profile of former Rep. Liz Cheney; analysis stories examining the stakes of Wyoming’s congressional race; and spot news reports exploring the impact of Wyoming voters’ decisions on representation in the Equality State and Washington.

Gardenswartz’s National Press Club award brings the Wyoming Truth’s award total to 20 in its first full-year as a daily news operation covering the state.

Earlier this year, the Wyoming Truth won 13 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists’ “Top of the Rockies” contest; five awards the National Newspaper Association Foundation’s “2023 Better Newspaper Contest”; and “Best Coverage of a Local News Story of the Year” award for its sex trafficking series written by Jennifer Kocher in the American Advertising Federation Western Region’s “Best of the West Media Awards.”