When I saw the other journalists that were nominated, I didn't think there was a chance (e.g. ProPublica was nominated for their excellent investigative reporting uncovering the Pentagon's reliance on Chinese contractors for cloud work). I'm very flattered to be in such great company. Thank you to the Institute for Security and Technology (IST) for this award.

Last night's IST gala at the National Press Club was a stroll down memory lane in many ways. Ran into people I haven't seen in person for ages, and most of them have been involved in shaping cybersecurity policy for 25+ years.

It was also bittersweet because I spent a lot of time at the Press Club as a reporter at The Washington Post, and I'm still livid about the insanity of the 300 or so WaPo journalists who lost their jobs this week.

I'm particularly mystified by the decimation of the Post's Metro staff; despite its stature as a top source of national and international news, The Washington Post has always maintained a strong focus on what's going on in the DC area. When they merged washingtonpost.com with the dead tree edition in 2009 and eliminated my job, the mantra of the company was they wanted to be THE source of news about what's happening in the Nation's Capital, and how policy being made in DC affects the rest of the world. Here's part of what I told the audience last night:

"I was horrified this week to see The Washington Post lay off 300 of its 800 remaining journalists -- the third major staff reduction in as many years. A lot of the cuts are deeply affecting the foreign and local metro staff; it's easy to forget the Watergate scandal started as a metro story. Probably we need several hundred more reporters digging into what this administration is doing, because Watergate frankly can't hold a candle to it all."

"I'm hoping all of the post-Posties will land in a better place soon, but I also hope they can keep doing their important work regardless of where it comes from. And I will continue to advocate for, support and encourage anyone who wants to go the independent route. I think journalism is going to be just fine for now, but I'm not sure I share the same view about many traditional news organizations. I hear from a lot of reporters considering the going out on their own worry about not having a big publication name to automatically open doors for them, or watch their backs legally, and those are certainly big adjustments of going solo. But you know what makes all that worth it? When you're breaking news that forces important people to answer hard questions, and the gatekeepers go, wait, who are you with again?"

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