Nixon Award History

2023 - Michele Earl-Hubbard

Founding WashCOG board member and fierce advocate for open government Michele Earl-Hubbard was honored with the 2023 Toby Nixon Award for her longstanding commitment to the cause of open government.

Earl-Hubbard is also a former president and longtime member of the Legal Committee. She represented the members of Washington's media who sued the Washington State Legislature and obtained the 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that legislators are, in fact, covered by the Public Records Act. Her legal work supporting First Amendment and related issues has been recognized for years by professional organizations, and she is also the legal adviser to members of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.

Earl-Hubbard's First Amendment and government transparency commitments go beyond WashCOG; she serves on the Prepublication Review Committee of the Media Law Resource Center in New York City; is a senior editor and author of the Washington State Bar Association's Public Records Act Deskbook. She has worked with the Society of Professional Journalists as a state FOI delegate and is a former board member of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

She has worked with the Society of Professional Journalists as a state FOI delegate and is a former board member of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. WashCOG recognized Michele Earl-Hubbard with the Andersen Award in 2016. Learn more about the 2024 Sunshine Breakfast here.

2022 - TVW

TVW is a nonprofit cable and webcasting channel celebrating its 30th year of providing unedited coverage of state government, politics and public policy, enabling greater access by the people.

“TVW was founded on the belief that the public has a right to know,” said Mike Fancher, president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government. He notes that the service maintains a repository of digital archives as well as broadcasting and webcasting hearings and legislative sessions live.

Fancher notes that “the mission of TVW has much in common with WashCOG.” Among the services guiding principles are a commitment to open government, to nonpartisan coverage and to civics education. The station also regularly produces candidate debates.

Among its many awards, TVW has won eight northwest regional Emmy Awards and 11 awards from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).

In 2009 WashCOG gave the then-Madison Award TVW cofounders Stan Marshburn and Denny Heck. That award went to them personally for their vision and the creation of TVW. This award goes to TVW itself for its continuing excellence in promoting open government and public involvement.

“Last of all, TVW has been of tremendous support to the Washington Coalition for Open Government,” Fancher noted. “It is a genuine partner in our advocacy for the people’s right to access government.”

See more about the 2023 Sunshine Breakfast here.

2021 - Toby Nixon

Toby Nixon, longtime president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, is the recipient of WashCOG’s lifetime achievement award, renamed in his honor. The 2021 Toby Nixon Award recognizes his ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability in government, through his service with the Coalition and beyond.

Nixon is currently president emeritus of the Coalition, after serving as WashCOG president from 2007 to 2021. Under his leadership, the organization has grown into one of the most effective state coalitions in the country.

“He personifies the spirit of citizen activism and vigilance that has been essential to resist the forces that work against openness and transparency,” said Mike Fancher, current president and longtime board member.

Nixon, a Kirkland city councilmember and former state representative, was inducted into the State Open Government Hall of Fame in 2012 by the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which recognized his “long and steady effort to preserve and protect the free flow of information about state and local government that is vital to the public in a democracy.”

The Washington Newspaper Publishers Association recognized him in 2006 with the Freedom’s Light Award.

“Toby believes transparency and public participation are the building blocks of good government and has fought for that principle as an elected official in state and local office,” Fancher said.

See more about the 2022 Sunshine Breakfast and Toby Nixon’s contributions here.