2013 Data Journalism (Medium Staff) Winner

Judges’ Comments:

“Jonah Newman and Brian O’Leary’s database on private college president compensation is definitive in scope, comprehensive and well-executed. Not only are they taking the time to pore through Form 990s to get and compile salary data, they have gotten photographs of each president and created a user-friendly way for readers to compare salaries and benefits not only nationally but by useful groups of peer comparisons. It’s particularly powerful that they have arranged their data so that readers can see a comparison of presidents’ pay over time and a comparison of their salaries with other key employees at their institutions — an additional layer of work that makes their results even more useful. Specifically, the ability to see a president’s pay in context on a single tab takes the guess-work out of the numbers with a clear presentation.”

“Jonah Newman and Brian O’Leary plowed through public tax return information to build a database revealing the pay of leaders in higher education. The data allow easy comparisons by a variety of factors that provide context. The articles by Newman and Jack Stripling provide additional context with balanced reporting that explain why this issue matters.”