WHYY Hosts Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley Earn Honors

The Fresh Air co-hosts received significant recognition for their contributions to media and journalism.

Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Awards

WHYY Hosts Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley Earn Honors

WHYY radio hosts Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley have been recognized with prestigious national media honors. Gross received the Paul White Award, while Mosley was named to the EBONY 2026 Power 100 list.

Why it matters

These awards celebrate the impact of public radio, highlighting the work of hosts who reach millions of listeners across the globe through the nationally distributed program Fresh Air.

Fresh Air maintains a reach of 6 million weekly listeners across 200 countries and territories. Tonya Mosley is the first public radio host to be included in the EBONY Power 100 list.

The players

Terry Gross

She has spent five decades as the host of the nationally distributed radio program Fresh Air.

Tonya Mosley

She serves as a co-host of Fresh Air and was recently named to the EBONY 2026 Power 100 list.

WHYY

This Philadelphia-based organization is the primary producer of the public radio program Fresh Air.

Radio Television Digital News Association

This organization represents local and national news professionals and presents the Paul White Award.

The details

Terry Gross was honored at the Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala in New York City with the Radio Television Digital News Association's Paul White Award. Meanwhile, co-host Tonya Mosley achieved a historic milestone as the first public radio host selected for the EBONY 2026 Power 100 list.

Tonya Mosley joined Fresh Air as co-host in 2023.
Terry Gross received the Paul White Award on October 12, 2026.
Tonya Mosley is scheduled to be recognized on November 9, 2026.

Culture Shift

This honor marks a continuation of the standards set by the Paul White Award for lifetime achievement in the field of journalism. The recognition highlights how public radio voices increasingly anchor the broader national conversation on culture and society.

Residents of Philadelphia can see the national recognition of local talent as a testament to the city's role in shaping public media content. These accolades reinforce the value of local productions that maintain a wide global audience reach.

The takeaway

These honors underscore the enduring relevance of public radio as a medium for deep-dive journalism and cultural commentary. Listeners can continue to follow the work of these award-winning hosts through their regular programming on WHYY and NPR.