Congratulations to Our Pulitzer Winners

Late last year,The New Yorkerpublished an extraordinary report by Sarah Stillmanon the draconian legal doctrine of felony murder, which has sent thousands of Americans (disproportionately young and Black) to prison for killings they did not commit. Today, we received the wonderful news that Sarah has won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. She was celebrated for the rigor of her reporting, the elegance of her writing, and the meticulous way she shed light on an aspect of our legal system that is known to so few.

That’s not all. We also learned today that Medar de la Cruz has won the Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary for his remarkable piece on newyorker.com called “The Diary of a Rikers Island Library Worker.” The piece provides an inside look at one of the most notorious jails in the country. The last lines are unforgettable: “When I’d finish a shift at Rikers, my legs would be sore from standing all day. I’d think about all the people I’d talked to. I’d hope that I had made some small difference for them. The words of a patron stuck with me: ‘At least you get to go home.’ ”

There were three additional finalists for Pulitzers atThe New Yorkerthis year: Vinson Cunningham, in Criticism, forhis brilliant columns on theatre; Jay Caspian Kang, in Commentary,for his incisive essayson everything from Tucker Carlson to Black Lives Matter; and Angie Wang, in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary, forher innovative animated comicabout A.I., toddlers, and language acquisition. And our immensely talentednew film critic, Justin Chang, who came toThe New Yorkerin February, won in the Criticism category for his writing about film at the Los AngelesTimes.

This is just an astonishing showing. I couldn’t be prouder of the winners, the finalists, and my colleagues who helped bring this work to publication. I also want to note that none of the work we do atThe New Yorkerwould be possible without the support of our readers. If you’re not already a subscriber, we hope you’ll considerbecoming one today.

As ever,

David Remnick
Editor,The New Yorker