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Explanatory Reporting

For a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation, Five thousand dollars ($5,000).

Year
Winners
Finalists

Sarah Stillman of The New Yorker

For a searing indictment of our legal system’s reliance on the felony murder charge and its disparate consequences, often devastating for communities of color.

Caitlin Dickerson of The Atlantic

For deeply reported and compelling accounting of the Trump administration policy that forcefully separated migrant children from their parents, resulting in abuses that have persisted under the current administration.

Staff of Quanta Magazine, New York, N.Y., notably Natalie Wolchover

For coverage that revealed the complexities of building the James Webb Space Telescope, designed to facilitate groundbreaking astronomical and cosmological research.

Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters

For an exhaustive examination, powered by a pioneering data analysis of U.S. federal court cases, of the obscure legal doctrine of “qualified immunity” and how it shields police who use excessive force from prosecution.

Ed Yong of The Atlantic

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.

Staffs of The Arizona Republic and USA Today Network

For vivid and timely reporting that masterfully combined text, video, podcasts and virtual reality to examine, from multiple perspectives, the difficulties and unintended consequences of fulfilling President Trump's pledge to construct a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News

For a painstaking, clear and entertaining explanation of how so many U.S. corporations dodge taxes and why lawmakers and regulators have a hard time stopping them.

Eli Saslow of The Washington Post

For his unsettling and nuanced reporting on the prevalence of food stamps in post-recession America, forcing readers to grapple with issues of poverty and dependency.

Staff of The New York Times

For its penetrating look into business practices by Apple and other technology companies that illustrates the darker side of a changing global economy for workers and consumers.

David Kocieniewski of The New York Times

For his lucid series that penetrated a legal thicket to explain how the nation's wealthiest citizens and corporations often exploited loopholes and avoided taxes.

Mark Johnson, Kathleen Gallagher, Gary Porter, Lou Saldivar and Alison Sherwood of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

For their lucid examination of an epic effort to use genetic technology to save a 4-year-old boy imperiled by a mysterious disease, told with words, graphics, videos and other images.

Michael Moss and members of the Staff of The New York Times

For relentless reporting on contaminated hamburger and other food safety issues that, in print and online, spotlighted defects in federal regulation and led to improved practices. (Moved by the Board from the Investigative Reporting category.)

Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of Los Angeles Times

For their fresh and painstaking exploration into the cost and effectiveness of attempts to combat the growing menace of wildfires across the western United States.

Amy Harmon of The New York Times

For her striking examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing, using human stories to sharpen her reports.

Kenneth R. Weiss, Usha Lee McFarling, and Rick Loomis of Los Angeles Times

For their richly portrayed reports on the world's distressed oceans, telling the story in print and online, and stirring reaction among readers and officials.

Staff of The Wall Street Journal

For its clear, concise and comprehensive stories that illuminated the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America. (Moved by the jury from the Public Service category.)

Staff of The New York Times

For its informed and detailed reporting, before and after the September 11th attacks on America, that profiled the global terrorism network and the threats it posed.

Staff of Chicago Tribune

For "Gateway to Gridlock," its clear and compelling profile of the chaotic American air traffic system.

Richard Read of The Oregonian, Portland

For vividly illustrating the domestic impact of the Asian economic crisis by profiling the local industry that exports frozen french fries.

Paul F. Salopek of Chicago Tribune

For his enlightening profile of the Human Genome Diversity Project, which seeks to chart the genetic relationship among all people.