The Washington Post and the British-based The Guardian newspaper shared a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for public service for coverage of National Security Agency surveillance programmes, based on documents from US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.
The Pulitzer committee commended The Washington Post ’s revelation of internet and telephone surveillance “marked by authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security.” The Guardian ’s aggressive reporting helped “to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy,” the committee said.
The coverage, which sparked debates in the United States over the balance between national security and citizens’ privacy, was led by for
All four journalists received the George Polk Journalism Award last week for their NSA coverage.
The disclosure of NSA surveillance prompted the UN Security Council to pass an anti-spying resolution. President Barack Obama ordered a review of data collection, and a number of congressional reform bills have been introduced.
Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger said he was “truly honoured” by the prize: “This was a complex story, written, edited and produced by a team of wonderful journalists.” “We are particularly grateful for our colleagues across the world who supported the Guardian in circumstances which threatened to stifle our reporting,” Rusbridger said, adding that the two newspapers shared the honour with Snowden.
The winners for public service award receive a gold medal.
The Pulitzer committee awarded 12 other categories in journalism, as well as in drama, fiction, music, history and poetry. The other awards carry $10,000 prizes.
The Boston Globe staff won a Pulitzer in breaking news reporting for its “exhaustive and empathetic coverage” of the Boston Marathon bombings a year ago. Josh Haner of The New York Times received a Pulitzer in feature photography for his essay about a Boston bombing victim who is rebuilding his life after losing both legs.
The international reporting prize was awarded to Jason Szep and Andrew Marshall of Reuters for their “courageous reports on the violent persecution of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myanmar that, in efforts to flee the country, often falls victim to predatory human-trafficking networks.” Donna Tartt received the Pulitzer for fiction for her book The Goldfinch, which was among the most popular novels of the past year.
The committee described her novel as “a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart.” American colonial historian Alan Taylor won his second Pulitzer for The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia.
No Pulitzer was awarded in the feature writing category.
Monday’s Pulitzers were the 98th time that Columbia University in New York City awarded to top writers. The award is named after journalist and publisher Joseph Pulitzer, who helped establish the Columbia Journalism School.