Pulitzer prizes focused on relay of Covid 19 and the murder of George Floyd

By: Mohammad Azmi Ahmad Hamaydeh

On 11 June 2020, the Pulitzer prizes were awarded to news agencies who were involved in the coverage of the dramatic events of 2020, and this being the year of the pandemic, it was extremely important that people around the world stay connected and informed through the news.

Another major event that was covered by news agencies across the US was the inhumane murder of George Floyd, the coverage of the events that followed majorly determined the Pulitzer winners.

The New York Times was able to achieve what is considered the most prestigious of all the Pulitzer prizes, the prize for public service attained by the news agency for their consistent and accurate coverage of the pandemic, and the events that occurred throughout.

The Pulitzer committee released on the website that the New York times won the award for “courageous, prescient and sweeping coverage of the coronavirus pandemic that exposed racial and economic inequities, government failures in the U.S. and beyond, and filled a data vacuum that helped local governments, healthcare providers, businesses and individuals to be better prepared and protected.”

Source: George Floyd Protests

via : The Wall Street Journal

Furthermore, journalist Ed Yong attained the Pulitzer for explanatory reporting for his continuous coverage of the pandemic, and with the coverage detailing just how far governments failed their citizens, and what challenges they faced.

The Pulitzer posted on their website that Ed Yong deserved the award for “For a series of lucid, definitive pieces on the COVID-19 pandemic that anticipated the course of the disease, synthesized the complex challenges the country faced, illuminated the U.S. government’s failures and provided clear and accessible context for the scientific and human challenges it posed.”

Finally, the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting went to The Star Tribune.

The award was obtained for their detailed coverage of the George Floyd case, with the Pulitzer committee commenting on the acts of The star Tribune stating “For its urgent, authoritative and nuanced coverage of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and of the reverberations that followed.”