John Hillkirk

Background

About John Hillkirk

Since 2016, John’s reporting team at KFF Health News has won multiple national honors, including two Gerald Loeb Awards, a Goldsmith Prize, a Polk Award, the Sigma Delta Chi award for public service journalism, the Batten Medal from the News Leaders Association, a Murrow Award, two National Press Club awards, and two Pulitzer Prize finalists. In 2018, John received the Gerald Loeb Lawrence Minard Editor Award, which honors excellence in business, financial and economic journalism editing, and recognizes an editor whose work does not often receive public recognition. At USA Today, John led the newspaper’s investigations team, which won two IRE silver medals, a Gerald Loeb, a duPont-Columbia award, and a Pulitzer finalist. John was USA Today’s editor-in-chief for three years and executive editor for five years. He has co-authored three books: “Xerox: American Samurai,” “Grit, Guts and Genius,” and “A Better Idea: Redefining the Way Americans Work.” John graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Recent KFF Health News investigations:"When Medical Devices Malfunction"(with CBS News) won the Polk Award in 2024."Overpayment Outrage"(with Cox Media Group) won a Goldsmith Prize and was a Pulitzer finalist for Public Service in 2024."Dying Broke"(with the NY Times) was a NIHCM finalist and 2nd place AHCJ winner. At USA TODAY, John's investigative team won 56 national awards from 2012 through 2015- DuPont/Columbia University 2013 Award for "Ghost Factories"​ https://goo.gl/W4mEH5 - IRE 2014 Medal for "Fugitives Next Door"​ http://fugitives.usatoday.com - Online News Association, 2014 First Place for Innovation in Investigative Journalism: https://goo.gl/oWuwGb - APME 2014 Award for First Amendment and Digital Storytelling: https://goo.gl/9d7iMF - Loeb Award 2013 Winner for Online Journalism for "Ghost Factories"​: https://goo.gl/Scp3kg - Barlett & Steele 2013 Investigative Reporting Award​: https://goo.gl/dgRbJP - APME 2013 Award for Digital Storytelling for "Ghost Factories"​: https://goo.gl/rQWTFy