The storming of the Capitol triggered a political earthquake in the USA – now several media have been honored with what is probably the best-known journalist prize for their reporting on it. The New York Times dominates foreign reporting.
Steven Ginsberg (left), Fred Ryan (centre) and Sally Buzbee celebrate on Monday
(dpa) The Washington Post newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the January 2021 attack on the Capitol. The paper received the award in the “Public Service” category for its “convincingly told and vividly presented reports on the attack on Washington”. These gave the public a “thorough and unflinching understanding of one of the nation’s darkest days,” the statement said at the ceremony in New York on Monday. Getty Images also recognized several journalists for their photo coverage of the Capitol storm.
The New York Times dominates foreign reporting
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the seat of Congress in Washington to prevent the election victory of his Democratic challenger Joe Biden from being confirmed. Five people were killed in the attack. The attack on the heart of American democracy, which left many members of parliament and senators fearing for their lives, shook the country. Trump had incited his supporters in a speech before the storm.
When it came to foreign reporting, the New York Times dominated with three out of four nominations. The renowned newspaper finally won the Pulitzer for its research into the high number of civilian casualties in American air raids in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Other award winners included the Tampa Bay Times for investigative research, the Miami Herald in the Breaking News Reporting category and the Chicago Tribune for local reporting.
Journalists from Ukraine honored for courage and perseverance
The journalists from Ukraine received a special mention at the 106th award of what is probably the world’s most famous journalist prize “for their courage, perseverance and commitment to truthful reporting during Vladimir Putin’s ruthless invasion of their country,” it said. The Russian President gave the order for an invasion of Ukraine in February. Since then, several reporters have lost their lives while working on site.
Fifteen of the Pulitzer Prize’s 22 categories are dedicated to journalistic work, from investigative stories to photos to cartoons. The award is also given for literature, music and theatre. The winners are determined by a jury based at New York’s Columbia University.