Today’s episode features Rick Hirsch, director of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability at the University of Florida. The $25,000 award is one of the largest journalism prizes available and it is presented at the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington, D.C. It recognizes the best professional reporting on state government accountability in the U.S. in any medium or on any platform and to any news organization. The Collier Prize Symposium on Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UF Reitz Union Rion Ballroom will feature investigations honored in the 2026 competition.
Hirsch, former Miami Herald editor and Pulitzer Prize winner, has organized the event which includes two dynamic keynote speakers: Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter Julie K. Brown and news innovator Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News. The event will also feature presentations from the reporting teams that won 2026 Collier Prize awards. The event is in-person and virtual and registration is required.
2026 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability Symposium
Nov. 17 | 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
UF Reitz Union
Rion Ballroom
Gainesville
More information at www.jou.ufl.edu/collier-prize-for-state-government-accountability/2026-collier-prize-symposium/
