Reminders, This and Every Week, of Work that Matters

On this last day of 2021, I want to, first, thank you all: for producing extraordinary journalism, for taking the issues covered into schools and universities, and for participating in this work as readers, viewers, and partners. We’re incredibly grateful that so many of you have contributed financially as well—and hope that those of you who haven’t as yet will consider doing so as we close out our End of the Year campaign.

To spur you along, I’d like to highlight stories and activities from just the past week, reminders of the Pulitzer Center model in action all year long:

Bringing Stories Home: Grantee Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson’s exposé on the misuse of facial recognition tools by Florida police departments, for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, is a damning reminder of continuing discrimination against racial minorities—and the threats to every one of us from the growing use of artificial intelligence.

Collaborative investigations: The article by grantee Glòria Pallarès, of El País, detailing the destructive deforestation complicit even in supposedly eco-friendly products like viscose and leather, highlights the mutually supportive work of all the grantees who are part of our Rainforest Investigations Network.

Outreach and education: The latest edition of NBC’s Meet the Press devoted an entire hour to the heated (and frequently misreported) controversies surrounding education and race. Nikole Hannah-Jones, lead author on The 1619 Project, discussed the Pulitzer Center’s role as the project’s education partner—and why it’s so important to foster honest classroom debates on issues that affect us all.

Reporting Fellows: Brett Simpson, a 2021 Reporting Fellow from the University of California, Berkeley, filed a fascinating report with The World on the fight over a planned copper mine in the Arctic region of Norway. It pits requirements for the raw materials of electric vehicles and other “green” technologies against local environmental destruction and threats to the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Regular readers of the newsletter know that this abundance of new material, and food for thought, is the stuff of our every week. It’s possible only because of your support! With thanks again to all for being part of the Pulitzer Center community—and fervent hopes for a peaceful, productive year ahead.

Impact

Two Pulitzer Center-supported projects were recognized by the International Labor Organization (ILO)'s Global Media Competition on Labour Migration. The two projects, both by grantee Ana P. Santos, focus on Filipino workers abroad. "Ocean Lockdown: Filipino Seafarers Face Perils, Death at Sea" follows long-haul fishermen for Rappler. The ILO also released an anthology of standout reporting in honor of the 10th anniversary of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention. The anthology includes Santos’ article “Long-Distance Parenting,” an empathetic look at how Filipino mothers care for their children while working overseas.

This message first appeared in the December 31, 2021, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

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