True crime scores big at the 2024 Pulitzer Awards
the true crime that's worth your time
"Awards are pretty much all bullshit," Kirsten Dunst famously said. She's not wrong, and yet we all want to know who else has one. For people in journalism, nothing better depicts this duality than the Pulitzer Prizes. The honors, which are up there with the James Beards and the Oscars in terms of status, also have their fair share of legitimate detractors (not to be confused with QAnon weirdos who reject all journalism). But, to paraphrase Billy Squier, everybody wants one.
This year's winners were announced on Monday, and as always, a lot of the work honored has a strong true crime connection. Here's a rundown of the crime-iest Pulitzer winners from 2024, as well as the best way to read or otherwise consume the work. You can find a list of all the winners (crime-related or not) online, or in this video.
Public Service: ProPublica, for the work of Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg
"Groundbreaking and ambitious reporting that pierced the thick wall of secrecy surrounding the Supreme Court to reveal how a small group of politically influential billionaires wooed justices with lavish gifts and travel, pushing the Court to adopt its first code of conduct."