Democracy at Stake in the U.S. and Globally

Democracy and authoritarianism, investigated around the world

When Donald Trump refused to accept his loss in the 2020 election and tried to upend the peaceful transfer of power that has been a hallmark of America’s democratic experiment since its founding, the guardrails held—just barely.

With the 2024 election fast approaching, Trump has made it plain that if he loses once again, he and his MAGA supporters won’t accept that result either. Will the guardrails still hold?

In recent weeks, the Pulitzer Center has supported several notable reporting projects that explore the increasingly fragile state of democracy in the U.S. and around the world.

One of them, a wide-ranging series of reports by the Associated Press, looks at the underlying causes of creeping authoritarianism in Europe as it plays out in long-established democracies such as France and the Netherlands, as well as in backsliding former Soviet satellites such as Hungary and Eastern Germany.  

In another deeply reported project, Chicago’s NPR station, WBEZ, and the Chicago Sun-Times sent journalists to Australia, South America, and Canada to explore potential solutions to some of the most vexing problems facing democratic societies: immigration, voter disengagement, and low voter turnout.

Grantee Andrea Kalin’s documentary, Public Defender, which debuted on The New Yorker’s website this week, tells the story of Heather Shaner, a public defender in the District of Columbia who takes on the cases of two January 6 rioters. Shaner, a diminutive dynamo of righteous justice, not only provides her clients with their best constitutionally-guaranteed day in court, but also tries—and somewhat succeeds—in opening their minds to the misguided effort to block the peaceful transfer of power.

Kalin’s documentary offers a nuanced look at the fragile state of our democracy, the cultural divisions that threaten to unravel it, and the individuals like Shaner who work quietly within the system to protect and preserve it.

Best,

Impact

The Indian Supreme Court declared on October 3, 2024, that provisions relating to caste-based discriminatory practices in prison manuals are unconstitutional. The court directed all states and Union Territories to revise their prison manuals in the landmark judgment.

The case follows a petition filed by Pulitzer Center grantee Sukanya Shantha. Shantha and fellow grantee Jahnavi Sen collaborated on a project that sheds light on caste-based discrimination in Indian prisons.

Reading out the judgment, India Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said that had it not been for the reporting, the injustice may have never come to light.

"Caste can no longer be overlooked in the discourse on prisons. We’re very happy with the outcome!” Shantha told the Pulitzer Center. “We are getting calls and messages from inside prisons, and several prison officials have also reached out to us for input on how best to implement the judgment. This verdict has opened up many new possibilities, and we’re exploring ways to seize this opportunity and stay engaged with the subject for the long term."

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This message first appeared in the October 11, 2024, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

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