This is one of those cases where the Pulitzer’s didn’t honor the honorees. Everybody knew the magnitude of their reporting. These awards maintain the dignity of the award and it is the awards themselves that will be honored when these great journalists accept. Future and past honorees will be able to say that they were awarded the same award as Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and the others.
I know it is a minor thing, considering the immense danger that Edward Snowden personally faces based on his revelations, but we should also reflect on the danger faced by each of these journalists. Laura Poitras has documented the many times she has been harassed entering the US. Glenn Greenwald’s partner was harassed and had information stolen from him in London, while being labelled an abettor to terrorism. Recently when they entered the US, both of them were in great fear of the potential of being subpoenaed and forced to divulge sources and information under the threat of being jailed for contempt of court. People from members of the US Congress to distinguished journalists have publicly called them traitors and suggested that they should be jailed. What they have done isn’t simply great reporting. They have also put themselves at risk to the whims of an uncontrolled intelligence and national security apparatus. They’ve earned this award and I only hope that continued honors and support by the rest of the journalism community help to prevent any future abuse.
I think we should also reflect on why so many of these reporters who are American citizens feel they need to live abroad in order to safely report on the US. How did we let this occur?
