Work by South Asians | Work about South Asia

• 2005:
  General Non-fiction - finalist: Suketu Mehta, author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found was a finalist. Unlike most other prizes, being one of the two finalists in a Pulitzer category is a big honor in itself. He is the first South Asian to ever be a finalist for general nonfiction. The winner in this category was Steve Coll for "Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001" (see below).
  
• Breaking News Photography - finalist: Arko Datta of Reuters for his picture that captured a woman's anguish in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. This photo also won World Photo of the Year and several other prizes.
  

• 2003:
  Explanatory Journalism: Geeta Anand, reporter at The Wall Street Journal, shared a staff prize for Explanatory Journalism. The Pulitzer policy is if more than three reporters are involved, the prize goes to the staff.
  Official citiation:
  "Awarded to The Wall Street Journal Staff for its clear, concise and comprehensive stories that illuminated the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America. (Moved by the jury from the Public Service category.)"
  Her two stories in the series were:
  • History and Science: In Waksal's Past: Repeated Ousters.
  • Trial Heat: Biotech Analysts Strive to Peek Inside Clinical Tests of Drugs
    (written with Randall Smith).
  See more on Anand (from SAJA.org)

• 2001:
  Public Service gold medal: Peter Bhatia, executive editor of The Oregonian, which won the staff award for public service.
  Official citation:
  "Awarded to The Oregonian, Portland, for its detailed and unflinching examination of systematic problems within the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, including harsh treatment of foreign nationals and other widespread abuses, which prompted various reforms." See more on Bhatia (from SAJA.org).

• 2000
  Fiction: Jhumpa Lahiri for Interpreter of Maladies (Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin). First South Asian and Asian American to win the Pulitzer for fiction. See the citation and work (from SAJA.org).

• 1999
  Spot News Photography: Sayyid Azim of the Associated Press shared a staff prize for coverage of the U.S. Embassy bombing in Kenya. Official citation: "Associated Press Staff for its portfolio of images following the embassy bombing in Kenya and Tanzania that illustrates both the horror and the humanity triggered by the event." See the citation and work (from Pulitzer.org).
  
  
• 1937
  Reporting: Dr. Gobind Behari Lal of Universal wire service (a US citizen of Indian origin) shared a prize with four others for coverage of Harvard's tercentenary. Official citation: "John J. O Neill, William L. Laurence, Howard W. Blakeslee, Gobind Behari Lal and David Dietz of New York Herald Tribune, New York Times, AP, Universal Service and Scripps-Howard for their coverage of science at the tercentenary of Harvard University." More on Dr. Lal, the first real science journalist, at www.saja.org/lal.html.
  
  
  Work about South Asia | Work by South Asians
  
• 2005
  General Non-fiction: Steve Coll for Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001.

From the managing editor of the Washington Post, a news-breaking account of the CIA's involvement in the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and gave rise to bin Laden's al Qaeda. See the citation and work from Pulitzer.org)


• 2000
  International Reporting: Barry Bearak, co-New Delhi bureau chief of The New York Times for "his deeply affecting and illuminating coverage of daily life in war-torn Afghanistan." See the citation and work (from Pulitzer.org).
  Dexter Filkins of The New York Times (former Los Angeles Times New Delhi bureau chief) was a finalist in the same category.
  
  
• 1998
  Investigative Reporting: Gary Cohn and Will Englund of The Baltimore Sun for their series on the international shipbreaking industry ("headquartered" in India) that revealed the dangers posed to workers and the environment when discarded ships are dismantled. See the citation and work (from Pulitzer.org).
  
  
• 1997
  International Reporting: John F. Burns of The New York Times for his coverage of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan (though SAJA does not consider Afghanistan a formal part of South Asia, Burns was New Delhi bureau chief and his winning stories dealt extensively with Pakistan). See the citation and work (from Pulitzer.org).
  
  
• 1975
  International Reporting: William Mullen, reporter, and Ovie Carter, photographer, of Chicago Tribune, for their coverage of famine in Africa and India.
  
  
• 1972
  National Reporting: Jack Anderson, syndicated columnist, for his reporting of American policy decision-making during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
  
  International Reporting: Peter R. Kann of The Wall Street Journal for his coverage of the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
  See sample of his stories.
  
  Spot News Photography: Horst Faas and Michel Laurent of Associated Press for their picture series, "Death in Dacca."
  
  
• 1949
  International Reporting: Price Day of Baltimore Sun for his series of 12 articles entitled, "Experiment in Freedom: India and Its First Year of Independence."

Corrections and updates to saja@columbia.edu