The results of the Pulitzer Prizes highlighted investigations that revealed a “chaotic” restructuring of US federal institutions and the exploitation of office for financial gain, along with photos from Gaza and reports on China’s surveillance technology, in the context of public criticism from regulators of the course of media freedoms under US President Donald Trump.
Published on: 05/05/2026 - 05:12 Last updated: 05/05/2026 - 08:57
Coverage related to the administration of US President Donald Trump dominated the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism announced on Monday, as the award committee launched a scathing attack on the US President's attempts to restrict freedom of the press.
“We support civil dialogue and oppose censorship,” Pulitzer Prize Director Marjorie Miller said shortly before the awards were announced.
She added, "Unfortunately, we must repeat these words now, in light of the media's restricted access to the White House and the Pentagon, freedom of expression being challenged in the streets, and the President of the United States filing multibillion-dollar lawsuits for defamation and incitement against many media outlets."
Miller announced the Pulitzer Prize for public service reporting to the Washington Post, which exposed the Trump administration's "chaotic" efforts to restructure federal institutions.
Miller said the coverage explored “in meticulous detail” the humanitarian impacts of job cuts and their consequences for the country.”
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The New York Times won the investigative journalism award for a series that exposed Trump's exploitation of "the money-making opportunities that come with power, enriching his family and allies."
Its reports highlighted how Trump’s allies and his family benefited from relations with the wealthy Gulf countries, in addition to their involvement in the cryptocurrency sector.
The Chicago Tribune won the local reporting award for its coverage of the “siege” of a Midwestern city by federal immigration agents as part of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
And Julie K got. Brown, a reporter for the Miami Herald, received special mention for her “groundbreaking reporting” in 2017 and 2018 on convicted sexual assaulter Jeffrey Epstein.
“Her ‘Perversion of Justice’ reporting series, published nearly a decade ago, revealed how prosecutors protected Epstein from federal sex trafficking charges when he was first arrested on charges of assaulting girls,” Miller said.
"Innovative and revealing"
The New York Times won the breaking news photojournalism award for Saher Al-Ghurra's "captivating and sensitive" photographs showing "the devastation and famine in Gaza resulting from the war with Israel."
Reuters news agency won the award in the national coverage category for its coverage of Trump's use of executive power and the influence of his supporters "to retaliate against his opponents."
As for the Associated News Agency, it won the award in the international coverage category for its reporting on the US government allowing its companies to sell surveillance technology to China.
The San Francisco Chronicle won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism for a series of reports that exposed insurance companies undervaluing damaged properties after the Los Angeles wildfires and hampering rebuilding efforts.
Reuters also won the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Coverage, for its “innovative and revealing” coverage of how Meta deliberately exposed its users to fraud and artificial intelligence manipulation.
The play "Emancipation" by Bess Wall won the Pulitzer Prize in the drama category, while the Pulitzer Prize in the history category went to the book "We the People" by Jill Lepore, and the Pulitzer Prize in the biography category went to the novel "Pride and Pleasure" by Amanda Vale.
Columbia University honors the Pulitzer Prizes.
France 24/AFP
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