Pulitzer Center CEO Lisa Gibbs: "The power of journalism persists."

The following remarks were made Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at an event held to commemorate the journalism produced at The New York Times with support from the Pulitzer Center since its founding in 2006.

When I thought about how to celebrate our 20th anniversary, I felt that there was no better tribute than the journalism and the journalists whose work the Pulitzer Center has made possible. Nearly 11,000 stories published in media outlets all over the world thanks to our support—230 of those in The New York Times.

These stories have changed the world. Whether it’s fixing bad government policy, or simply helping a student understand this crazy world a little bit better, we believe passionately in the vital role of journalism—not just at the time a story is published, but also long after: in college classrooms, in policy forums, and in community conversations. 

Journalism could use a little celebrating these days. Increasing restrictions on press freedoms. AI and declines in trust. Shrinking resources, layoffs. Tonight, there is a guest missing from our conversation. We hoped to have photojournalist Paolo Pellegrin on the stage later, but five days ago the U.S. government denied his request to travel. We don’t officially know why, but we do know that Paolo has been to at least five countries on the U.S. blacklist, including Cuba, Libya, and Sudan— as a journalist doing his job—going to difficult places to bring us the story from the ground.

And yet … the power of journalism persists. So far this year, Pulitzer Center has received 2,894 proposals from journalists who have ambitious ideas and want our help. That’s more than double the number for the entire year just three years ago—that reflects the tremendous need, to be sure, but it’s also a testament to the strength and success of the programs we’ve built over two decades and, importantly, the trust that journalists and news organizations like The New York Times have in us as collaborators.

Tonight is about the Pulitzer Center kind of journalism—and what happens when two organizations with shared values and commitments come together to serve the public.

You’ll hear from six journalists who we supported whose work was published in the Times, followed by a conversation on stage with Jake Silverstein, the editor in chief of The New York Times Magazine and journalist Scott Anderson, author of Fractured Lands and the recent King of Kings, the story of the 1979 Iranian revolution that was a finalist this year for the Pulitzer Prize in the History category.