| Year | Reporter | Newspaper | |
|---|
| 2008 | Jo Becker and Barton Gellman | The Washington Post | |
| 2007 | Charlie Savage | The Boston Globe | |
| 2006 | James Risen and Eric Lichtblau | The New York Times | |
| 2006 | Staffs of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service | San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service | |
| 2005 | Walt Bogdanich | The New York Times | |
| 2004 | Staff of Los Angeles Times, Nancy Cleeland, Evelyn Iritani, Abigail Goldman, Tyler Marshall, Rick Wartzman and John Corrigan | Los Angeles Times | |
| 2003 | Alan Miller and Kevin Sack | Los Angeles Times | |
| 2002 | The Washington Post Staff | The Washington Post | |
| 2001 | The New York Times Staff | The New York Times | |
| 2000 | Staff of The Wall Street Journal | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1999 | Staff of The New York Times and notably Jeff Gerth | The New York Times | |
| 1998 | Russell Carollo and Jeff Nesmith | Dayton Daily News | |
| 1997 | Staff of The Wall Street Journal | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1996 | Alix M. Freedman | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1995 | Tony Horwitz | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1994 | Eileen Welsome | Albuquerque Tribune | |
| 1993 | David Maraniss | The Washington Post | |
| 1992 | Jeff Taylor and Mike McGraw | The Kansas City Star | |
| 1991 | Marjie Lundstrom and Rochelle Sharpe | Gannett News Service | |
| 1990 | Ross Anderson, Bill Dietrich, Mary Ann Gwinn and Eric Nalder | The Seattle Times | |
| 1989 | Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele | The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| 1988 | Tim Weiner | The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| 1987 | Staff of The Miami Herald | The Miami Herald | |
| 1987 | Staff of The New York Times | The New York Times | |
| 1986 | Arthur Howe | The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| 1986 | Craig Flournoy and George Rodrigue | Dallas Morning News | |
| 1985 | Thomas J. Knudson | Des Moines Register | |
| 1984 | John Noble Wilford | The New York Times | |
| 1983 | Boston Globe | The Boston Globe | |
| 1982 | Rick Atkinson | The Kansas City Times | |
| 1981 | John M. Crewdson | The New York Times | |
| 1980 | Bette Swenson Orsini and Charles Stafford | St. Petersburg Times | |
| 1979 | James Risser | Des Moines Register | |
| 1978 | Gaylord D. Shaw | Los Angeles Times | |
| 1977 | Walter Mears | Associated Press | |
| 1976 | James Risser | Des Moines Register | |
| 1975 | Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele | The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| 1974 | Jack White | Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin | |
| 1974 | James R. Polk | Washington Star-News | |
| 1973 | Robert Boyd and Clark Hoyt | Knight Newspapers | |
| 1972 | Jack Anderson | Syndicated Columnist | |
| 1971 | Lucinda Franks and Thomas Powers | United Press International | |
| 1970 | William J. Eaton | Chicago Daily News | |
| 1969 | Robert Cahn | Christian Science Monitor | |
| 1968 | Howard James | Christian Science Monitor | |
| 1968 | Nathan K. (Nick) Kotz | Des Moines Register and Minneapolis Tribune | |
| 1967 | Stanley Penn and Monroe Karmin | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1966 | Haynes Johnson | Washington Evening Star | |
| 1965 | Louis M. Kohlmeier | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1964 | Merriman Smith | United Press International | |
| 1963 | Anthony Lewis | The New York Times | |
| 1962 | Nathan G. Caldwell and Gene S. Graham | Nashville Tennessean | |
| 1961 | Edward R. Cony | The Wall Street Journal | |
| 1960 | Vance Trimble | Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance | |
| 1959 | Howard Van Smith | Miami News | |
| 1958 | Clark Mollenhoff | Des Moines Register and Tribune | |
| 1958 | Relman Morin | Associated Press | |
| 1957 | James Reston | The New York Times | |
| 1956 | Charles L. Bartlett | Chattanooga Times | |
| 1955 | Anthony Lewis | Washington Daily News | |
| 1954 | Richard Wilson | the Des Moines Register | |
| 1953 | Don Whitehead | Associated Press | |
| 1952 | Anthony Leviero | The New York Times | |
| 1951 | no award | - | |
| 1950 | Edwin O. Guthman | The Seattle Times | |
| 1949 | C. P. Trussel | The New York Times | |
| 1948 | Nat S. Finney | Minneapolis Tribune | |