In a first, two Indian photojournalists won Pulitzer Prizes.
Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui received the prestigious award for a picture of a Rohingya refugee man pulling a child as they walk to the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat. Siddiqui’s colleague Adnan Abidi won the Pulitzer for a picture of a Rohingya father’s hand on his seven-year-old boy, who was shot in his chest before crossing the border from Myanmar.
Apart from photography, Reuters on Monday also won a Pulitzer for international reporting, while The New York Times and The Washington Post shared the national reporting honor for detailing the US investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
Pulitzers, the most prestigious awards in American journalism, recognised Reuters in international reporting for exposing the methods of police killing squads in Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, and for feature photography documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Duterte’s War & Rohingya Crisis by Reuters
In the Philippines coverage, Reuters reporters Clare Baldwin, Andrew RC Marshall and Manuel Mogato "demonstrated how police in the president's 'drug war' have killed with impunity and consistently been shielded from prosecution," Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J Adler said.
The coverage, depicted through the award-winning series called “Duterte’s War”, included a report that revealed how a police anti-drug squad on the outskirts of Manila had recorded an unusually high number of killings. Many members of the squad came from a distant place that was also Duterte's hometown, where the campaign's brutal methods originated during his time as mayor.
The Reuters photography staff were also honored for images of violence endured by the Rohingya, a Muslim minority, while fleeing Myanmar for Bangladesh.
Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been jailed in Myanmar since 12 December, charged under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men in Rakhine state.
Reporting on Charges Against Harvey Weinstein by The New York Times & The New Yorker
The New York Times daily and The New Yorker magazine shared the honor for public service for their coverage of sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey won for their report on Weinstein, which triggered a series of similar allegations against influential men in politics, journalism and show business and gave rise to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements that have encouraged victims to come forward.
The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow was recognised for a Weinstein report that detailed allegations of a woman who reported her accusations to New York police. Authorities have since renewed a criminal investigation against Weinstein.
Roy Moore Scandal by Washington Post
The Washington Post won a prize in investigative reportage for breaking the story that Alabama US Senate candidate Roy Moore had a history of courting teenage girls.
The Moore report came as stories of men abusing their power over women abounded, contributing to changing public attitudes. Moore, a Republican backed by President Donald Trump, had been favored to win the special election but lost to Democrat Doug Jones.
Russian Involvement in US Elections by Washington Post & The New York Times
The New York Times and The Washington Post shared the honor for national reporting for their coverage of the investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 US presidential elections.
The award was given "for deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation's understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect's transition team and his eventual administration."
The Pulitzer board selects winners in 14 journalism categories plus seven that recognise fiction, drama, history, biography, poetry, general nonfiction and music.
Along with this, Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize, taking the music award for his album "DAMN."
(With inputs from Reuters)
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