Award to Be Presented at GBH 75th Anniversary Gala
BOSTON, Mass. (May 4, 2026) – Marking World Press Freedom Day on May 3, GBH, the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America, has announced it will present its inaugural GBH Impact Award to Martin “Marty” Baron, former Executive Editor of The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.
GBH established the GBH Impact Award to honor visionaries who mirror the organization’s founding ideal: that public knowledge is a fundamental public good. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a relentless pursuit of truth, broaden our cultural horizon with dignity and compassion, and champion the full spectrum of human experience, illuminating our world with integrity, courage, and a profound commitment to serving the public.
“On World Press Freedom Day, we are reminded of the essential role of a free and independent press in a healthy democracy, and Marty has spent his career defending that principle with courage and integrity,” said Susan Goldberg, President and CEO of GBH. “We are thrilled to honor his legacy of journalistic excellence that serves the public good with our first GBH Impact Award.”
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, taking place Friday, Oct. 23 at Roadrunner in Boston. The event marks the official kickoff of a year-long celebration of GBH’s 75-year legacy and its future as an independent, community-supported institution. More information at wgbh.org/gala.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. GBH is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and ARTHUR and MOLLY OF DENALI and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services GBH WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station, and as a partner to NEPM in Springfield. Dedicated to making media accessible to and representative of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to audience members who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. With PBS LearningMedia, GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide. GBH’s local programming includes Boston Public Radio, GBH News Rooted, Stories from the Stage, The Culture Show, The Curiosity Desk, and High School Quiz Show. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.
