The GRIFT Award for Journalism

Brandy Zadrozny began her career as a librarian and news researcher, including at Fox News and ABC News, before becoming a reporter and senior researcher at The Daily Beast. She joined NBC News in 2018 and MS NOW in 2025.

Her reporting has examined the QAnon movement, The Epoch Times, the business of anti-vaccine activism, and online extremism. The selection committee recognized her command of primary sources, her fluency in the online communities she covers, and her persistence in following money and influence to their origins.

Established in 2026, the GRIFT Award for Journalism recognizes reporting that helps the public tell reliable information apart from its imitations.

Recipients are selected using the Institute’s evaluation framework, which scores candidates across 41 qualities identified through a review of journalism scholarship, newsroom standards, and audience research. The award is named for the Institute’s full title, the Generative Research Institute For Truth.

Dana Whitcombe, Arun Mehle, Eleanor Vance, and Ruth Okafor.