Pulitzers Honor Coverage of Pandemic, Floyd Case

NEW YORK – The New York Times won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Friday for its coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, while the Star Tribune of Minneapolis won the breaking news award for its reporting following the police killing of George Floyd.

The Associated Press won two awards, sweeping the photography category, and the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded a special citation to the teen who filmed George’s killing, Darnella Frazier.

There have been few years in journalism like 2020, when nearly everything that happened was touched by COVID-19.

The announcement of the prizes itself was originally scheduled for April 19 but the Pulitzer board postponed it until June to give its 18 members a chance to debate the entries in person, instead of remotely.

This was the second such ceremony to be pushed back amid the pandemic. Last year’s announcement was pushed back two weeks to give board members busy covering the pandemic more time to evaluate the finalists.

The Pulitzer Prizes in journalism were first awarded in 1917 and are considered the field’s most prestigious honor in the United States.

The awards luncheon traditionally held at Columbia University in May also was postponed.

Source: Voice of America