*Disclaimer: Since the original publication, this story has been updated to include additional awards that came in late.
Carolina Journal earned 17 awards, including 10 first-place honors, in the North Carolina Press Association’s annual editorial contest, with recognition spanning investigative reporting, political coverage, public records journalism, multimedia storytelling, visual design, and audience engagement.
Among Carolina Journal’s most significant honors were two prestigious first-place awards earned by longtime journalist Mitch Kokai. Kokai received the Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award for “Reporting that opens the courthouse doors” and the Media and the Law Awards of Excellence for “Opening up the courtroom to public view.”
The Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award recognizes excellence in journalism related to public records, open government, and the public’s right to know. Kokai’s reporting demonstrated how persistent public-records and court-access reporting can improve accountability and expand public access to government proceedings. His first-place Media and the Law Awards of Excellence entry examined legal issues affecting public access to North Carolina’s courts, reinforcing Carolina Journal’s longstanding commitment to open government and transparency.
“Mitch Kokai has spent decades setting the standard for thoughtful, fair, and deeply informed journalism in North Carolina dedicated to transparency and the rule of law,” said Donna King, Carolina Journal’s editor-in-chief. “His reporting is grounded in facts and driven by a belief that the public deserves access to the information it needs to hold government accountable. These awards recognize his distinguished career helping North Carolinians better understand the policies that shape their lives.”
In addition to Kokai’s honors, Carolina Journal captured first-place awards across a broad range of editorial categories:
- Business Writing: David Larson — “Do we really need to ‘bring back manufacturing’?”
- Election/Political Reporting: David Larson — “NC’s 2026 Senate race looks like Cooper vs. Whatley”
- Henry Lee Weathers Freedom of Information Award: Mitch Kokai — “Reporting that opens the courthouse doors”
- Illustration/Photo Illustration/Print or Interactive Graphics: Sydney Cook — “The Debrief: Possible Recount Coming in SD 26 + Democrats Led Statewide Turnout for NC Primaries”
- Media and the Law Awards of Excellence: Mitch Kokai — “Opening up the courtroom to public view”
- News Enterprise Reporting: Theresa Opeka — “Watauga County property owners in David vs. Goliath battle over water rights”
- Religion & Faith Reporting: David Larson — “Religious freedom’s new foes”
- Use of Social Media: Brenee Goforth Swanzy and Jacob Emmons — CJ: Real-Time Policy News and Public Accountability
- Video: Katie Zehnder and Jacob Emmons — “The victims of Liberation Day”
- Multimedia Projects: Carolina Journal Staff — “Tariff Shock: Impact of federal tariffs on NC industry”
Carolina Journal also earned six additional awards:
Second Place
- Advertising Campaign: Sydney Cook — Carolina Liberty Conference 2026
- Business Writing: David Larson — “The health care system we almost had (and still can)”
- Religion & Faith Reporting: David Larson — “Christmas and the power of small”
- Editorial: Mitch Kokai — “Probing for truth beyond the headlines”
Third Place
- Business Writing: Mitch Kokai — “Courts, Policy, and Regulatory Impact”
- Illustration/Photo Illustration/Print or Interactive Graphics: Daniel Ackley — Illustrating North Carolina’s Public Debates
- Special Section: Melanie Murphy and David Larson — NC250 Essay Contest Spread
The awards reflect the breadth of Carolina Journal’s newsroom, recognizing outstanding work in investigative and enterprise reporting, legal affairs, politics, business, religion, multimedia journalism, audience engagement, and visual storytelling.
The North Carolina Press Association will announce the remaining contest results, including the General Excellence Award, during its Annual Convention on September 10 at the Embassy Suites in Cary.
For more than three decades, Carolina Journal has provided in-depth reporting and analysis of North Carolina government, public policy, the courts, education, business, and politics. These awards recognize the newsroom’s continued commitment to producing fact-based journalism that informs readers, promotes government accountability, and advances transparency across the state.
