AP’s Ben Feller and Washington Post’s Greg Jaffe win Gerald R. Ford journalism prizes

Ford Prize goes to AP, Washington Post reporters

WASHINGTON — Ben Feller of The Associated Press and Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post have won the Gerald R. Ford Prize for distinguished reporting.

Feller, a White House reporter since 2006, was recognized for his reporting on the presidency. The judges, who were unanimous in picking Feller, said he “proved himself to be both a master of deadline reporting and an astute analyst of the meaning and significance of President Obama’s initiatives and actions.”

Feller also is the winner this year of the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure.

Jaffe, a military affairs reporter for the Post since March 2009 after a similar assignment at The Wall Street Journal, was recognized for his reporting on the war in Afghanistan. The Ford judges said his articles “offer a clear and cohesive picture of the many challenges associated with national defense.”

The awards, sponsored by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and carrying a prize of $5,000 each, will be presented June 7 at the National Press Club by Jack Ford, a son of the late president.