Capital B has won the 2025 Robert G. McGruder Diversity Award, an honor that recognizes outstanding efforts to advance diversity in journalism, both in inclusive hiring and in coverage. The award is part of the Poynter Journalism Prizes — a collection of 10 prizes awarded to newsrooms and journalists for stellar journalism in the previous year. 

In their citation, judges noted, “The journalists who started this newsroom in 2022 … knew the traditional role of the Black press, telling stories that would otherwise go unreported. And they rose up to meet this moment. They are delivering stories around subjects like maternal health and Black farmers, and they are righting wrongs, exposing an Atlanta housing development’s horrible disrepair.”

They continued, “They have done an impressive amount of work in a short period of time, and they’ve managed to represent the diversity of the Black experience.”

This is the second recognition of the work Capital B does to make journalism more inclusive. In 2024, Capital B received the NABJ Best Practices Award for its commitment to diverse hiring, impactful coverage of issues affecting Black communities, and efforts to build a representative newsroom.

“We founded Capital B to deliver journalism that is driven by Black people’s lived experiences. This award affirms that building a newsroom like ours is not just possible, but essential. We’re honored to represent what journalism can look like when it reflects the people it serves,” said CEO Lauren Williams.

The Poynter Journalism Prizes were established in 2024 to honor excellence and impact in American journalism. The inaugural Robert G. McGruder Diversity Award, named after the late Detroit Free Press editor, was awarded to the Mississippi Free Press last year.