Years ago, my wife & best friend told me this would happen and I told them, stridently and at length, that it was completely and laughably beyond the realms of possibility. So: @lizneeley and @beck_smith are always right, and also I will *never* live this down.
Reporting on the pandemic was the most fulfilling &difficult challenge of my professional life. I did my best to give our readers a stable 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 difference.
.@lizneeley kept me afloat through all of it. Her ferocious intellect, boundless empathy, and ability to maintain optimism while facing cold reality, are all part of the DNA of my work. I love you, Liz. You’re my whole, my hope, my home.
I count around 300 sources who took time to share their expertise with me during a year when we all had little time to spare. I learned SO MUCH from you all and I’m grateful to you for helping our readers.
My thanks to the Pulitzer board and jurors (I’ve been a juror and dear lord is it a LOT of work; you have to read dozens of sets of massive features and when you open an entry and it’s only one 8000 word article, you cry with relief.)
I could not have done this without the amazing people at the Atlantic, who collectively created an environment where award-winning work was possible. It really takes a village, and in recognition of that...
I’ll be splitting the prize money between everyone who worked on my pieces last year—every editor, copy editor, fact checker, artist, and more. Even when individuals win Pulitzers, their work depends on a community. I want to honor mine.
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