Malaysian-born journalist Ed Yong wins Pulitzer Prize for COVID-19 reporting
14 June, 2021
Malaysia-born science journalist Ed Yong has won a Pulitzer Prize for his explanatory reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yong, who is located in Washington, DC, is an employee writer at the Atlantic.
Based on the prize's website, Yong won the Pulitzer for his “group of lucid, definitive pieces on the COVID-19 pandemic that anticipated the span of the disease, synthesized the complex challenges the united states faced, illuminated the US government’s failures and provided clear and accessible context for the scientific and human challenges it posed”.
Giving an answer to the accolade, Yong said on Saturday (Jun 12) that reporting on the pandemic was the most fulfilling and difficult challenge of his professional life.
“I did my best to give our readers a well balanced platform from which to make sense of a crisis that defied sense. I’m sad these stories were ever necessary, but I hope they made a notable difference," he tweeted.
He also said that he was grateful to “around 300 sources who took time to talk about their expertise with (him) throughout a year whenever we all had short amount of time to spare”.
Yong added that he'll be splitting the US$15,000 prize money between your people who done his stories in 2020, including editors, fact checkers and artists.
“I could not need done this without the amazing people at the Atlantic, who collectively created a host where award-winning work was possible,” he said.
“Even though individuals win Pulitzers, their work will depend on a community. I want to honour mine.”
According to the Pulitzer Prize website, the award for explanatory reporting recognises “a distinguished exemplory case of explanatory reporting that illuminates a substantial and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the topic, lucid writing and clear presentation, using any available journalistic tool”.
Yong in addition has written for publications such as for example National Geographic, the New Yorker, the New York Times and Scientific American.
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