Indian Journalists Honored with Pulitzer Prize for Cybercrime Reporting
Recognition for Investigative Excellence
File image of veteran journalist Subarna Sharma (Photo: @bilkulonline/X)
New York, May 5: Two Indian journalists have been awarded the esteemed Pulitzer Prize for their impactful art reporting project that highlights cybercrime issues in India.
Anand RK and Suparna Sharma, in collaboration with Natalie Obiko Pearson, were recognized on Monday in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category for their investigative work published by Bloomberg.
Additionally, Devjyot Ghoshal, another Indian journalist based in Bangkok, was a finalist in the same category for his investigation into cybercrime and human trafficking in Southeast Asia, where individuals from various nations, including India, are held captive and coerced into scamming victims abroad.
In a separate category, Aniruddha Ghosal, a reporter in Hanoi, received recognition for his International Reporting work, which delved into the US Border Patrol's covert use of mass-surveillance technologies initially developed in Silicon Valley and later enhanced in China.
This investigation also revealed the deployment of these tools by China and other nations.
The Pulitzer Prizes, regarded as the pinnacle of journalism accolades in the United States, are overseen by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
The illustrated report by Bloomberg detailed the harrowing experience of Ruchira Tandon, a neurologist from Lucknow, who was subjected to a six-day 'house arrest' by cybercriminals impersonating officials, resulting in the theft of ₹2.8 crores from her bank accounts.
The Pulitzer announcement emphasized that the story shed light on the escalating global issues surrounding surveillance and digital fraud.
Anand is a Mumbai-based illustrator and visual artist with numerous accolades, while Suparna Sharma is a freelance investigative journalist operating in India.