Toby Nixon Award

Tri-City Herald honored for effective use of Public Records Act in reporting

WashCOG recognized the Tri-City Herald with the Toby Nixon Award for the newspaper’s long commitment to defending Washington state’s transparency laws in its editorial pages and using those laws for the newsroom’s reporting.

“The Tri-City Herald has embraced its longstanding editorial support for transparency and walked the talk every day,” Juli Bunting, WashCOG executive director, said in the award presentation at the 2025 Sunshine Breakfast.

The Herald was previously recognized with a Key Award for its investigation of a school board’s violation of the Open Public Meetings Act when weighing action on the state’s COVID mask mandate. The newspaper’s reporters relied extensively on the Public Records Act for their investigation. The newspaper has also repeatedly supported Washington’s access laws in its editorial pages, offering examples of information the paper gathered with the help of disclosure laws.

 “We fight the fight every day, and it’s a team effort,” Executive Editor Laurie Williams said. She also expressed appreciation for “the open government heroes” at the Sunshine Breakfast.

The Eastern Washington newspaper, with roots that go back more than 100 years, is now a McClatchy property. It publishes news online daily and in print twice weekly. Based in Kennewick, it serves Southeastern Washington and the Tri-Cities area of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland.

The award, presented annually to an individual or organization whose long-term commitment to the cause of open government is demonstrated through exemplary words or deeds, is named for longtime WashCOG board president Toby Nixon.