Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther has been nominated for an award given to public officials that one journalism organization says tried to cover up public records.
Fresh off the Wednesday announcement that Ginther will be seeking a fourth term as mayor in 2027, the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization nominated him for the "Golden Padlock" award. The award would recognize Ginther and the city of Columbus for allegedly misleading citizens about the 2024 ransomware attack by cybercriminal group Rhysida.
The city is also recognized for silencing the whistleblower in court with a temporary restraining order and later an injunction. That whistleblower, Connor Goodwolf, revealed usable data had in fact been leaked to the dark web, contradicting Ginther's claims hours earlier.
The IRE calls the competition "a competitive field" of candidates who have distinguished themselves in the art of secrecy. This includes officials or agencies shredding public records or masking the impact of serious government failures or even undermining the principles of open courts.
The award is also recognizing NBC4/WCMH for breaking the story by being the first to speak with Goodwolf. WOSU also spoke to Goodwolf, finding out that the names of undercover police officers were just some of the data leaked to the dark web.
Other finalists include tech billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's Dept. of Govt. Efficiency and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
Ginther's spokesperson Melanie Crabill said in an email the mayor would not be commenting on the award. She didn't say if the mayor would accept the award if he won.
The ceremony is June 21 this year in New Orleans.
