This American Life announced they won the first Pulitzer Prize ever given to audio journalism, for “revelatory, intimate journalism that illuminates the personal impact of the Trump administration’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy.”

This American Life has more details about the episode:

The episode that won, “The Out Crowd”, ran last November. When we started putting it together, we knew that elements of the “Remain in Mexico” policy had been covered by the press. But a lot of that coverage had come out in drips and drops, as the wonky specifics of the policy changed. Most listeners – hell, most of our own families and friends – had not put together what the policies really meant: tens of thousands of asylum seekers stranded on the other side of the border in shelters, on the streets, and in makeshift encampments. Many get kidnapped by the cartels, in areas the State Department classifies as violent and unsafe as Syria and Iraq.

The Pultizer Prizes website points out that Episode 668: The Out Crowd was an episode created by Molly O’Toole, who is an immigration and security reporter based in the Los Angeles Times’ Washington D.C., bureau. It was also created by Emily Green, a Mexico City-based journalist reporting on Mexico and Central America.

This American Life wrote: It’s an honor to be recognized this way by the Pulitzers. And exciting to win their very first prize for audio reporting.

I agree! The fact that the Pultizer Prize has been given to a podcast episode really opens up the possibility for more podcast episodes to be considered for the prize. I find that inspiring.