By Prarthana Mitra
Journalists from across the world who wrote about election tampering, riots in Charlottesville, addiction, racism, exposing Harvey Weinstein, and often risked their lives and security to hold a mirror up to society were recognised for their efforts on Monday. Pulitzer prizes were awarded to recognise some of these men and womenwriters, reporters, photographers and artists. Fourteen prizes are awarded for reporting, photography, criticism and commentary, and seven in the performing arts.
Shaping cultural and political agenda
Noteworthy among the recipients is the trio of Jodi Kantor, Meghan Twohey and Ronan Farrow who wrote about Weinstein and Hollywood’s patriarchal hegemony, reporting on the extensive abuse of power. As well-known actresses, including Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Asia Argento, came forward to testify against Weinstein, which led to the birth of the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns. Writing for The New York Times and The New Yorker, they went on to win the Pulitzer for Public Service Reporting.
The award for excellent national reporting was shared by The Washington Post (which also won for investigative reporting) and The New York Times for refusing to dismiss the Russian connection in the 2016 US presidential election. Reuters won in the international reporting category for exposing the brutal massacre that took place in Phillippines, disguised as the president’s war on drugs.
Staff photographers of Reuters also received the Pulitzer for capturing the flight of about 650,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. The fear of genocide coupled with the fierce will to live, reflected through the pictures, is a testimony to the power of war photography. Some of the reporters were even detained and jailed by Burmese government for their incendiary work.
Cincinnatis Enquirer won the Pulitzer for local reporting, for their riveting and insightful documentary on what the heroin epidemic looks like today. They sent out 60 reporters and videographers into the community to chronicle an ordinary week in this extraordinary time.
Freelance reporter Rachel Kaadzi Ghanshah received a Pulitzer for an unforgettable portrait of murderer Dylann Roof published in GQ. In the feature titled Making of an American Terrorist, she included a powerful first-person reflection of the historical and cultural forces prevalent, along with sharp reporting on his violent massacre of nine people inside a church in Charleston.
https://twitter.com/GQMagazine/status/985960842188423168
The prize for best Editorial Cartoon went to The New York Times for its illustrative series on a Syrian immigrants experience in America for the first time. Ryan Kelly at the Daily Progress received recognition for documenting the ugly truth behind the white-supremacist rallies at Charlottesville.
Additionally, hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer for capturing the complexity of modern African-American life in his latest album DAMN.. It is the first time that the award went to a non-classical, non-jazz musician.
Congratulations to all the winners. You can check the entire list of Pulitzer recipients here.