Morgan State’s School of Global Journalism and Communication Names Adam Mahoney 2026 Vernon Jarrett Medal Recipient

Capital B Climate and Environment Reporter Recognized for Investigative Reporting on the Impact of Data Center Expansion on Black Communities

BALTIMORE — Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC) named Adam Mahoney, climate and environment reporter for Capital B, as the 2026 recipient of the Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence. Recognized for a reporting series examining the rapid expansion of data centers and the environmental, economic and quality-of-life consequences confronting Black communities across the United States, Mahoney received the prestigious journalism award at a special ceremony on Sept. 25 at the National Press in Washington, D.C.  Now in its 11th year, the Journalistic Excellence award includes a $10,000 prize and a bronze medal bearing the image of the award’s namesake, the pioneering Black journalist Vernon Jarrett.

A Los Angeles native now based in Louisiana, Mahoney has reported from more than a dozen U.S. states and internationally from Ghana, Mexico, Palestine, Uganda and Vietnam. His work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Guardian. He is co-author of “The Problem with Plastic” (The New Press, 2025) and is writing a forthcoming environmental memoir for Haymarket Books.

Mahoney’s journalism has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, Congress and the White House. His reporting has also helped prompt federal resources and funding for a small rural Louisiana town, contributed to changes in Chicago’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout and increased the use of federal funds to shelter unhoused people in at least three cities.

“At a time when nearly everything is political, Adam Mahoney’s work drives home the impact environmental issues have on Black communities and the public consciousness,” said Jackie Jones, dean of the School of Global Journalism and Communication. “His work should inspire and encourage more young Black journalists to focus on this multifaceted and important area of coverage.” 

Mahoney’s reporting has chronicled how the nation’s accelerating demand for artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure is reshaping communities, particularly across the South. His work for Capital B has explored concerns surrounding energy consumption, pollution, utility costs, land use, public transparency and the distribution of economic benefits as data center development expands into predominantly Black communities.

In an exclusive interview with The Spokesman, Morgan State University’s student-run newspaper, Mahoney shared the award’s impact: “It’s an honor and a privilege to bring that legacy forward and also to be seen by peers, it’s a reminder for me that the work that I’m doing matters, which will be helpful going forward.”

As part of the Jarrett Medal honor, an SGJC student will have the opportunity to intern with Mahoney, extending the award’s impact by connecting an emerging journalist with an accomplished professional whose work reflects the medal’s commitment to consequential reporting on Black life in America.

The Vernon Jarrett Medal for Journalistic Excellence is awarded to a journalist who’s published or broadcast work is of significant importance or has had a significant impact on some aspect of Black life in America. The award is named for the late Vernon Jarrett, the trailblazing African American columnist who wrote for the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. In the late 1940s, Jarrett partnered with composer Oscar Brown Jr. to produce “Negro Newsfront,” the first radio news broadcast in the United States created by African Americans. He also founded the NAACP’s ACT-SO program and was a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

The Jarrett Medal was created by DeWayne Wickham, founding dean of SGJC and a founder and former president of NABJ. A longtime USA TODAY columnist, Wickham is an Emmy Award-winning director of the Center for New Media and Strategic Initiatives, which produces documentaries and other research-driven projects.

Previous Vernon Jarrett Medal recipients include: Michelle Tyrene Johnson, public radio journalist and producer (2025), D. Watkins, New York Times bestselling author (2023), Wesley Lowery (2022), Dr. Kaye Wise-Whitehead, WEAA-FM public affairs host and Associate Professor at Loyola University (2021), Errin Haines, The 19th, and Adam Serwer, The Atlantic (2020), Audra D.S. Burch, The New York Times (2019), Helen Ubiñas (2018) and Mensah Dean (2017), both from the Philadelphia Media Network; Kirsten West Savali, a writer, cultural critic and associate editor of The Root, (2016); and Dr. Stacey Patton, a reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education (2015).

About the School of Global Journalism & Communication

The School of Global Journalism and Communication, created in July 2013, is led by Dean Jackie Jones, who succeeded Dean Emeritus Wickham. The school is dedicated to giving voice to people who struggle to contribute to the public discourse that shapes the nation and the world through innovative teaching, cutting-edge research and exemplary service to Maryland, the nation and the world. The school seeks to instill in students the skills, knowledge and training necessary to become effective communicators and to add to the variety of thought in news media.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

Media Contacts:
Larry Jones or Dell Jackson, for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022

Sheri Booker, for SJGC
443-885-4773

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