America's Newspapers congratulates the recipients of the 2020 Pulitzer Prizes

Posted Tuesday, May 5, 2020 10:39 am

Editorial Writing

Jeffery Gerritt's publisher, Jake Mienk, informed him of the award in the Palestine Herald-Press parking lot Monday afternoon shortly after the announcement as Gerritt returned from running errands.

“I just broke down and fell to the ground,” he said. “I never thought this would happen to me, and I always pretended it didn’t matter. But now I know just how much it matters. I’m happy I could bring this honor to the Palestine Herald-Press and to CNHI (owner of the paper).”

Breaking News Reporting

“I have to presume that anytime a newsroom wins a Pulitzer, it’s an amazing feeling. But to hear the news today — with my staff working remotely, with all of us exhausted from covering the biggest story of our generation — it means more than words can express. This is for the taxpayers of Kentucky who demand accountability and public trust from their elected officials and expect The Courier Journal to ensure that happens,” said Rick Green, editor of The Courier Journal in Louisville.

Feature Photography

“This honor continues AP’s great tradition of award-winning photography,” said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. “Thanks to the team inside Kashmir, the world was able to witness a dramatic escalation of the long struggle over the region’s independence. Their work was important and superb.”

National Reporting

Michele Matassa Flores, executive editor of The Seattle Times, said the award underscores the value of local and regional news organizations throughout the country.

“Independent voices and deep digging for the truth do matter,” she said. “Our coverage ultimately has been about finding the truth for families who lost loved ones in the two 737 MAX crashes — and about keeping air travel safe for the flying public. We’re honored our work has been recognized by the Pulitzers.”

Congratulations to the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winners! We are so proud to see so many of our members on this list.

Breaking News Reporting

Awarded to the staff of The (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal for coverage of hundreds of last-minute pardons from Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin

Finalists

The staff of the Los Angeles Times for coverage of the Conception boat fire that killed 34 people
The staff of The Washington Post for coverage of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that occurred within hours of each other

Investigative Reporting

Awarded to Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times for an investigation of New York City’s taxi industry that revealed predatory loans that took advantage of vulnerable drivers

Finalists

Jay Hancock and Elizabetth Lucas of Kaiser Health News for exposing predatory bill collection from the University of Virginia health system
The staff of The Wall Street Journal for an investigation of Amazon’s third-party seller system

Explanatory Reporting

Awarded to the staff of The Washington Post for a series that showed the effects of extreme temperatures on the planet

Finalists

Rosanna Xia, Swetha Kannan and Terry Castleman for a series on the effects of climate change on the California coastline and the people living there
The staff of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting for reporting on worker injuries at Amazon’s warehouses

Read more about The Washington Post’s win and how reporting about climate change was a big winner in this year’s awards.

Local Reporting

Awarded to the staff of The Baltimore Sun for reporting on a financial relationship between Baltimore’s mayor and a public hospital system that her office oversaw

Finalists

The staff of The Boston Globe for a look at what socioeconomic inequities did to the city’s top high school students
The staff of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an investigation of sexual abuse in the Amish and Mennonite communities

National Reporting

Two organizations won the national reporting award this year.

Awarded to T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica for an investigation of a series of accidents in America’s 7th Fleet
Awarded to Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times for coverage that exposed design flaws in Boeing’s 737 Max

Finalist

The staff of The Wall Street Journal for coverage of a California utility’s equipment neglect, which led to deadly wildfires

International Reporting

Awarded to the staff of The New York Times for a series of stories that expose Russian President Vladimir Putin’s predatory regime

Finalists

The staff of The New York Times for a series of stories that exposed China’s efforts to repress Uighur Muslims
The staff of Reuters for reporting on the Hong Kong protests

Feature Writing

Awarded to Ben Taub of The New Yorker for a story on a Guantánamo Bay guard’s growing friendship with a captive who was tortured and deprived of his freedom

Finalists

Nestor Ramos of The Boston Globe for a dramatic story about how climate change is reshaping Cape Cod
Ellen Barry of The New York Times for a story about an Indian “prince”
Chloé Cooper Jones writing for The Verge of a story on the man who filmed Eric Garner’s death and the New York Police Department’s apparent retaliation against the man

Commentary

Awarded to Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times for a personal essay that opened the 1619 Project, which viewed America’s origins through the lens of enslaved Africans

Finalists

Steve Lopez of The Los Angeles Times for columns about increasing homelessness in Los Angeles
Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post for columns about equity and fairness in the sports world

Read more about Nikole Hannah-Jones’ essay and this year’s commentary winners here.

Criticism

Awarded to Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times for a critique of the overhaul of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Finalists

Justin Davidson of New York Magazine for architecture reviews, including a look at the development of Manhattan’s Hudson Yards
Soraya Nadia McDonald of The Undefeated for essays on theater and films about the intersection of race and art

Editorial Writing

Awarded to Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Texas) Herald-Press for editorials that exposed how inmates died in a small county jail while they were awaiting trial

Finalists

Melinda Henneberger of The Kansas City Star for editorials on abortion access, sexual assault and domestic violence
Jill Burcum of The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune for writing about a proposed mine and pollution in the waters of a wilderness area

Editorial Cartoons

Awarded to Barry Blitt of The New Yorker for his watercolor style and gentle caricatures of the personalities and policies that come from the Trump White House

Finalists

Lalo Alcaraz, a freelancer, for commentary about local and national issues from a Latinx perspective
Matt Bors of The Nib for cartoons about the hypocrisy of the Trump presidency and the blind spots of moderate democrats
Kevin “Kal” Kallaugher, a freelancer, for cartoons about the Trump administration, international affairs and Baltimore politics

Read more about this year’s editorial cartoon winners here.

Breaking News Photography

Awarded to the photography staff of Reuters for photographs of the Hong Kong protests

Finalists

Dieu Nalio Chery and Rebecca Blackwell of the Associated Press for images of lynching, murder and human rights abuses in Haiti
Tom Fox of The Dallas Morning News for coverage of a shooter outside of the Dallas Federal Building. Poynter talked to Fox after the incident last year.

Feature Photography

Awarded to Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press for images showing life in the contested Kashmir as India revoked its independence

Finalists

Erin Clark of The Boston Globe for photographs of a Maine family struggling with homelessness
Mary F. Calvert, a freelancer, for The New York Times, for photographs of male sexual assault survivors in the U.S. Army

Audio Reporting

Awarded to This American Life, with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, a freelancer for Vice News, for “The Out Crowd,” a look at the personal impact of the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy

Finalists

Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods and Rahsaan Thomas for “Ear Hustle,” a look at life behind the bars from inmates at San Quentin State Prison
Andrew Beck Grace, Chip Brantley, Graham Smith, Nicole Beemsterboer and Robert Little of NPR for “White Lies,” a podcast about an infamous murder from the Civil Rights era

Read more about This American Life’s win here.

Public Service

Awarded to the Anchorage Daily News, with contributions from ProPublica, for a series on small towns in Alaska that lack police protection

Finalists

The New York Times for reporting that exposed the scope of a political war on science
The Washington Post for data-driven reporting that provided insight into the opioid epidemic in the U.S.

Read more about the Anchorage Daily News’ reporting on law enforcement here.

Special Citation

The Pulitzer Prize Board awarded a special citation to Ida B. Wells, an early pioneer of investigative journalism and civil rights icon. The Board will also bequest at least $50,000 in support of Wells’ mission. More details will be announced at a later date.

Keywords

Pulitzer Prizes