Weinstein stories sparking #MeToo win Pulitzer Prizes
New York Times also gets award for Russia investigation.
NEW YORK — The New York Times and The New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for breaking the Harvey Weinstein scandal with reporting that galvanized the #MeToo movement and set off a worldwide reckoning over sexual misconduct in the workplace.
The Times and The Wash- ington Post took the national reporting award for their coverage of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 for “deeply sourced, relentU.S. presidential election and lessly reported coverage in contacts between President the public interest.” Donald Trump’s campaign In stories that appeared and Russian officials. within days of each other
The Press Democrat in October, The Times and of Santa Rosa, California, The New Yorker reported received the breaking news that movie mogul Weinstein reporting award for coverage faced allegations of sexual of the wildfires that swept harassment and assault from through California wine coun- a multitude of women in Holtry last fall, killing 44 people lywood going back decades and destroying thousands and had secretly paid setof homes. tlements to keep the claims
The Washington Post from becoming public. also won the investigative The Pulitzer judges said reporting prize for revealing The Times’ Jodi Kantor and decades-old allegations of sexMegan Twohey and The New ual misconduct against Sen- Yorker’s Ronan Farrow proate candidate Roy Moore of duced “explosive, impactful Alabama. The Republican forjournalism that exposed powmer judge denied the accusaerful and wealthy sexual pred- tions, but they figured heav- ators, including allegations ily in the special election that against one of Hollywood’s Democrat Doug Jones won. most influential producers,
One of the biggest surbringing them to account prises of the day came in for long-suppressed allega- the non-journalism catego- tions of coercion, brutality ries when rap star Kendrick and victim silencing, thus Lamar was awarded the Pulit- spurring a worldwide reck- zer for music, becoming the oning about sexual abuse.” first non-classical or non-jazz The stories led to Wein- artist to win the prize. stein’s ouster from the stu-
The Pulitzers, American dio he co-founded, and he journalism’s most presti- now faces criminal investi- gious awards, reflected a gations in New York and Los year of unrelenting news and Angeles. He has apologized unprecedented challenges for “the way I’ve behaved for U.S. media, as Trump with colleagues in the past” repeatedly branded reportbut denied any non-consening “fake news” and called sual sexual contact. journalists “the enemy of The stories’ impact soon the people.” spread beyond Weinstein
In announcing the journal- to allegations against other ism prizes, Pulitzer adminis- prominent men in enter- trator Dana Canedy said the tainment, politics and elsewinners “uphold the highest where, toppling such figures purpose of a free and inde- as “Today” show host Matt pendent press, even in the Lauer, actor Kevin Spacey, most trying of times.” newsman Charlie Rose and
“Their work is real news Sen. Al Franken. of the highest order, exeMen and women, famous cuted nobly, as journalism or not, have spoken about was always intended, with- their own experiences of sexout fear or favor,” she said. ual harassment and assault
A string of stories in The in what has become known Times and The Washington as the #MeToo movement. Post shined a light on Russian In other categories, the interference in the presiden- Arizona Republic and USA tial election and its connecToday Network won the tions to the Trump campaign explanatory reporting prize and transition — ties now for a multi-format look at the under investigation by special challenges and consequences counsel Robert Mueller. The of building the Mexican bor- president has branded the der wall that was a centerinvestigation a “witch hunt.” piece of Trump’s campaign.
The Pulitzer judges comThe local reporting award mended the two newspapers went to The Cincinnati Enquirer for what judges called “a riveting and insightful” narrative and video about the heroin epidemic in the area.
Clare Baldwin, Andrew R.C. Marshall and Manuel Mogato of Reuters won the international reporting award for their coverage of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly crackdown on drugs, and the news agency’s photographers received the feature photography prize for their images of the plight of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar.
The breaking news photog- raphy award went to Ryan Kelly of The Daily Progress of Charlottesville, Virginia, who captured the moment that a car plowed into count- er-protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in the Virginia college town. The car killed one of the counter-demonstrators.
Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, a freelance writer for GQ magazine, took the feature writing award for a profile of Dylann Roof, the avowed white supremacist convicted of killing nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina.
The commentary award went to John Archibald of Alabama Media Group in Birmingham, Alabama, for pieces on politics, women’s rights and other topics. Art critic Jerry Saltz of New York magazine won the criticism award for what the judges called his “canny and often daring perspective.”
Andie Dominick of The Des Moines Register received the editorial writing prize for pieces about the consequences of privatizing Iowa’s administration of Medicaid.
Freelance writer Jake Halpern and freelance cartoonist Michael Sloan were awarded the editorial cartooning prize for a graphic narrative in The New York Times about a family of refugees fearing deportation.
The Pulitzers are administered by Columbia University. This is the 102nd year of the contest.