The GBH Impact Award is more than a recognition of one person — it is a celebration of the values that have defined our institution since its inception. We honor individuals who inspire the good in all of us, and illuminate our world with integrity, courage, and a profound commitment to the public we serve.
The award honors visionaries who use their craft to strengthen community and civic spaces. Their work reflects GBH’s founding ideal: that public knowledge is a fundamental public good.
Among the attributes the awardee possesses:
- Relentless courage in the pursuit of truth, elevates diverse voices, and helps people navigate an increasingly complex world.
- Pursues truth with conviction and rigor, cuts through the noise, challenges assumptions, and champions facts in the name of public interest.
- Broadens our cultural horizon with dignity and compassion.
- Champions the full spectrum of human experience, bridging divides and makes knowledge accessible to all.
Inaugural GBH Impact Award Recipient: Martin "Marty" Baron
Marty Baron
Baron began his journalism career at the Miami Herald in 1976, then moved to the Los Angeles Times three years later, working his way up from business reporter to business editor and then to editor of the newspaper’s Orange County edition. He landed at The New York Times in 1996, soon becoming the associate managing editor responsible for nighttime news operations. Baron returned to the Miami Herald in 2000 as executive editor, and then 20 months later became executive editor of The Boston Globe, where he grew the paper’s focus on local investigative journalism. In 2013 he took over as executive editor of The Washington Post, where he spent nearly a decade overseeing the Post’s print and digital news operations before retiring in 2021.
Under his leadership, news staffs won 18 Pulitzer Prizes, including 11 awarded to The Washington Post and six to The Boston Globe for public service, national reporting, investigative reporting, explanatory reporting, and other categories.
Baron was born and raised in Tampa, Fla. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1976 with both a BA in journalism and an MBA, having completed a five-year program in four years. His career in journalism has been recognized with numerous honors and awards and he is the recipient of several honorary degrees.
“I am immensely grateful for this recognition from GBH, particularly at a moment in the nation’s history when a free and independent press has come under incessant assault,” Baron said. “The press is a cornerstone of a vibrant democracy. It is deeply meaningful to me that this award comes from one of this country’s most admired public-media outlets, which serves our democracy every day with quality journalism.”
The 2026 GBH Impact Award will be presented to Baron at GBH’s 75th Anniversary gala — GBH75: A Gala Celebration — taking place on Friday, October 23 at Roadrunner in Boston, MA. For more information and tickets, visit wgbh.org/gala.