The Pulitzer Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism and literature, has been presented in the United States.
Reuters won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for its story on the international trade in chemicals used to produce fentanyl. It is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States, supplied illegally, and has claimed the lives of at least 450,000 Americans, and the number is growing. This was Reuters’ 13th Pulitzer Prize.
This investigation revealed for the first time how the chemical supply chain works and exposed how and why the US government has failed to stop the flow despite significant diplomatic and law enforcement efforts by the Biden and first Trump administrations.
The Times also received an award for its coverage of the fentanyl crisis in collaboration with the Baltimore Banner. The journalists mapped the extent of the fentanyl crisis in Baltimore and its disproportionate impact on older black men by creating a sophisticated statistical model.
The New Yorker magazine was among the other winners of the most prestigious awards in American journalism, receiving awards in three categories simultaneously.
Mosab Abu Tohu, a New Yorker writer, received the award for his piece on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza. Moses Saman was awarded for his black-and-white photographs from Sednaya prison in Syria.
The New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize for its podcast In the Dark, which tells the story of a four-year investigation into the killing of 25 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Haditha, one of the most notorious crimes of the Iraq War.
The New York Times received the award in four categories, including the “Sensational News Photography” category for a series of photos by Doug Mills during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. One of the photos shows a bullet flying through the air.
The newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism for its coverage of the US war in Afghanistan and the International Reporting category for Declan Walsh’s coverage of the conflict in Sudan, including foreign influence and the lucrative gold trade that fuels it. The article also includes forensic reports on Sudanese forces responsible for atrocities and famine.
The New York Times has increased its total number of awards to 139, the highest number since the awards began in 1917.
The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, 2024. The story detailed the events and analysis that combined police reporting with audio and video evidence.
The award was also given to cartoonist Ann Telnes, who resigned from The Washington Post four months ago in protest after the newspaper rejected her cartoon of The Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and other CEOs kneeling in front of a statue of Trump. The judges praised her “fearlessness that led to her departure from the news organization.”
The Public Service Award went to ProPublica for its report on pregnant women who died after doctors postponed their treatment for fear of violating abortion laws.
The Wall Street Journal received the award in the National Journalism category for its examination of the political and personal changes of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, including his shift to conservative politics, his use of legal and illegal drugs, and his private conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mark Warren of Esquire magazine received the award for his story about a Baptist pastor and small-town mayor who committed suicide after his personal digital life was exposed by a right-wing news site.
Bloomberg CityLab’s Alexandra Lange was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her research on how public spaces’ architecture affects families’ lives.
Raj Mankad, Sharon Steinmann, Lisa Falkenberg, and Leah Binkowitz from the Houston Chronicle won with a series of stories about dangerous railroad crossings.
Chuck Stone, the first black columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News, was given a special award. He covered the civil rights movement and was among the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists.
In the Arts and Letters category, Percival Everett was awarded for his novel James, a reimagining of Jim from Huckleberry Finn.
Edda L. Fields-Black won in the History category for her book about Harriet Tubman. Brenden Jacobs-Jenkins won the award for his play “Meta,” about an upper-middle-class black family.
The Pulitzer Prize has been awarded annually since 1917 on the first Monday of May by the trustees of Columbia University in New York. The winners receive $15 thousand. Joseph Pulitzer, an American journalist and publisher of Hungarian descent, founded the prize.