What winning a Pulitzer Prize means for our Reuters teammates

The Reuters ‘Shielded’ series revealed how an obscure legal doctrine called 'qualified immunity', shields police accused of excessive force from accountability. Last month, this timely journalistic work was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in the Explanatory Reporting category, the newsroom’s ninth since 2009, and sixth in the last fourth years.

Congratulations to Reuters journalists Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell, former Reuters intern Jackie Botts and team for the amazing accomplishment!

We asked the team what this prize means to them. Hear what they had to say!

“Grateful’ was used by Andrew to describe his feelings after winning the award, but what truly stands out is that Reuters is an organization willing to tell these stories.

“I’m extremely grateful for winning the Pulitzer because, as a journalist, it is obviously a career pinnacle, but also humbling to be recognized for doing work that we willingly do every day, not for recognition, but to shed light on issues and stories that the world needs to know. The world is also better for having news organizations like Reuters willing to tell those stories.” 

– Andrew Chung, Legal Reporter 

For Lawrence, he is grateful for the opportunity to have taken on such an ambitious project and said it has helped him grow as a journalist immensely.

"The Pulitzer Prize is a gratifying recognition of our work, which showcased the broad array of talent and depth of resources that Reuters can bring to bear on a big story, which is something not all news organizations can do. It was the most ambitious journalism project I have ever undertaken and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to stretch myself and develop new skills."

– Lawrence Hurley, Supreme Court Correspondent

The Shielded series was a result of a team that worked well together, said Andrea. 

“Shielded was a true team effort and couldn't be completed without the wide range of talents and skill sets across our newsroom. I'm grateful for the chance to learn from my colleagues, and I’m proud to work at a place that can and does support such meaningful work.”

– Andrea Januta, Investigative and Data Reporter 

The Pulitzer is a prize that many journalists dream of achieving in their career. For Jaimi, it was a dream come true when she found out that the hard work had paid off.

“At a fairly early age, I knew I wanted to be an investigative reporter. As part of that, winning the Pulitzer Prize has been a lifelong goal. I feel so fortunate to work for a news organization that not only values important work but provides the necessary time and resources to get it done.”

– Jaimi Dowdell, Data Journalist