Michael J. Berens

Background

About Michael J. Berens

Michael J. Berens is an investigative reporter for Thomson Reuters (formerly Chicago Tribune / The Seattle Times) and winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. He was a Pulitzer finalist in 2017, his third, and has been recognized with many national awards. Berens career began at The Columbus Dispatch as a copy boy who sorted mail, delivered newspapers to the staff, grabbed the editor’s lunch and assembled the newsroom Christmas tree. While still a junior at The Ohio State University, he landed a full-time night police beat reporter position. Berens’ work has received dozens of national awards, including multiple honors from the National Press Club; the White House Correspondents Association; Investigative Reporters and Editors; Associated Press Media Editors and Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Additionally, his work in recent years has been recognized with a Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism; Selden Ring Award for Investigative Journalism, the Global Editors Network Data Journalism Award, and Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. He is a frequent journalism trainer for media-related organizations, specializing in database analysis, for groups such as NewsTrain of Associated Press and Media Editors; IRE workshops; and the California Healthcare Foundation at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. He’s a former adjunct professor for the graduate program at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He has recently conducted web seminars on how to find watchdog stories and how to develop computer-assisted reporting skills through Arizona State University at the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.