An Italian version of this article was published in Italian by the same author on 6 May 2025.
On 5 May, the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded at Columbia University in New York.
As expected, several honours went to journalists and newsrooms for their coverage of the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump. More broadly, the political events and fractures shaping the new American administration took centre stage at this year’s awards.
Among the most recognised outlets were The New York Times, with four prizes, The New Yorker with three, and The Washington Post with two.
Despite the Post’s recent efforts to soften its editorial stance towards the government and broaden its appeal beyond the political left, these titles remain firmly embedded in the traditional media ecosystem long vilified by Trump.
Beyond US borders, winning stories covered the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the conflict in Sudan, the suffering of civilians in Gaza, testimonies from Sednaya prison in Syria, and the 2005 massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians by US troops.
As noted by Axios, local newspapers were once again underrepresented — both this year and in 2024.
Demonstrators advocating for abortion rights in Minnesota, United States, in 2019. Photo: Flickr.
Abortion and fentanyl
For the second year running, investigative non-profit outlet ProPublica won the most prestigious award – Public Service.
Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser, Cassandra Jaramillo and Stacy Kranitz documented the delays and systemic failures that led to the deaths of pregnant women in US states with highly restrictive abortion laws.
The issue remains central to American political debate — particularly after Trump, during the last election campaign, falsely claimed that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris “says that abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine.”
In the early months of his administration, the federal government and several politically aligned state judges made multiple attempts to restrict access to abortion care.
More recently, however, the Department of Justice asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Idaho, Kansas and Missouri seeking to limit access to a drug used in medical abortions.
Another recurring theme in Trump’s rhetoric — and a core subject in this year’s Pulitzers — is fentanyl use across the United States.
The president has repeatedly stated that tariffs on Canada and Mexico are meant to punish both countries for enabling the opioid’s spread and for failing to enforce tighter border controls.
Yet fentanyl-related overdose deaths fell sharply last year — well before his re-election.
For their reporting on the crisis, Reuters won in the Investigative Reporting category, while Alissa Zhu, Jessica Gallagher and Nick Thieme — of The Baltimore Banner and The New York Times — were honoured for Local Reporting.
Butler, Musk and an unwelcome cartoon
Two additional Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to The Washington Post and New York Times photographer Doug Mills for their coverage of the 13 July attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Washington Post newsroom won in the Breaking News Reporting category, while Mills was recognised for Breaking News Photography for his photo series capturing the moments during and after the shooting.
The paper also featured — though in a less flattering context — in another award: one granted to former staff cartoonist Ann Telnaes for the strength of her editorial illustrations.
Back in January, the paper had refused to publish one of her cartoons depicting Big Tech executives — including Postowner Jeff Bezos — bowing before Trump to curry favour.
Telnaes resigned shortly after, as did several former colleagues, citing shifts in the paper’s editorial direction.
A cartoonist shows the way for courage and principle, while a major newspaper tramples on freedom of expression and humiliates itself in the process: @AnnTelnaes leaves the @washingtonpost after the rejection of a cartoon showing @JeffBezos kowtowing to Trump. 👇 pic.twitter.com/QjWHOUFpiC
— Chappatte Cartoons (@PatChappatte) January 4, 2025
Finally, Elon Musk was — perhaps inevitably — among the names featured.
The Wall Street Journal was awarded for National Reporting for its exposés on “Musk’s shift to the right, his use of both legal and illegal drugs, and his private conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Interestingly, the world’s richest man was also the subject of the Reuters investigations that earned the same award last year.
In that case, however, the reporting focused on Musk’s companies — not his personal political entanglements.
The full list of 2025 Pulitzer Prize recipients is available on the official Pulitzer website.
