- The Indianapolis Star, also known as IndyStar, was nominated for a Pulitzer for its examination of Indiana’s red flag gun law.
- The Palm Beach Post was nominated for the award for an investigation of air pollution during the Florida sugar cane harvest season.
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was nominated for the public service Pulitzer for its reporting of electrical fires in rental properties.
For its coverage of the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, The Washington Post was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service. The Miami Herald was awarded the Pulitzer for its breaking news reporting on the Surfside condo collapse, and The New York Times took home the prize for both national and international reporting.
The results were livestreamed Monday from Columbia University. Winners from the 15 journalism categories are each awarded $15,000 with the exception of the public service award, which comes with a gold medal. The full list of winners and finalists is available here.
Three USA TODAY Network papers – The Indianapolis Star, The Palm Beach Post and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – were named finalists for awards.
Tony Cook, Johnny Magdaleno and Michelle Pemberton of The Indianapolis Star were nominated for the local reporting Pulitzer Prize for their examination of the state’s red flag gun law.
Lulu Ramadan of The Palm Beach Post, another Gannett paper, was also nominated for the award, along with Ash Ngu, Maya Miller and Nadia Sussman of ProPublica for an investigation of air pollution during the sugar cane harvest season in Florida. Their work, which includes photography and videography from Thomas Cordy and Greg Lovett of The Palm Beach Post, has been recognized with awards including a Sigma Award in the single project category, the McElheny Award for Local Science Reporting and a Best of Gannett award.
Madison Hopkins of the Better Government Association and Cecilia Reyes of the Chicago Tribune won the local reporting Pulitzer for reporting on deaths caused by failed safety code enforcement.
This is the second year in a row The Indianapolis Star, also known as IndyStar, has been honored by the Pulitzer board. The USA TODAY Network paper was co-winner of the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2021, along with the Chicago-based Invisible Institute, AL.com and the Marshall Project.
Indy Star’s “Red Flagged” series exposed the failure of authorities to follow through on more than 100 gun confiscations under Indiana’s red flag law, including one involving a gunman who fatally shot eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis.
The Milwaukee Journal was nominated for the public service award for its reporting of electrical fires in rental properties. Its “Wires and Fires” investigation last year by reporters Raquel Rutledge, John Diedrich and Daphne Chen delved into the rampant electrical code violations and fatal fires in the city’s poorest neighborhoods, exposing a widespread lack of accountability in a broken system.
“These exemplary projects are further evidence of the quality journalists across our network who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people in communities we serve and beyond,” Mike Reed, CEO and chairman of Gannett, said Monday. “To be recognized as a finalist for journalism’s top prize is a distinction and we are elated to recognize this achievement.”
Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president of news for Gannett, said it is an “enormous honor” to have three finalists from Gannett this year.
“These three projects are the result of a deep commitment to rigorous, investigative journalism that exposes wrongs and seeks solutions to improve the lives of people in communities we serve. There is no higher calling in journalism,” Wadsworth said in a statement.
The Pulitzer board awarded a special citation to the journalists of Ukraine for their “courage, endurance and commitment to truthful reporting” during Russia’s invasion of the country.
“Despite bombardment, abductions, occupation and even deaths in their ranks, they have persisted in their effort to provide an accurate picture of terrible reality,” said Pulitzer Prize administrator Marjorie Miller.
Gannett has been honored with 96 Pulitzer Prizes, including the Indy Star’s 2021 award. The New York Times has received more than 130 awards while the Washington Post staff and affiliates have received more than 65 prizes, according to the publications’ websites.
ELECTRICAL FIRES IN RENTAL PROPERTIES:Electrical fires hit Milwaukee’s Black renters hardest. Nobody is held accountable.
RED FLAGGED:Police and prosecutors failed to file in court more than 100 red flag cases
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