Guwahati: In a significant achievement for Indian journalism, several Indian reporters have received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for their work on cybercrime and digital surveillance.
Journalists Anand R.K. and Suparna Sharma, along with Natalie Obiko Pearson, were honoured in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category for their project published by Bloomberg. Their work used a mix of narrative and visuals to show the real-life impact of cybercrime.
Their report “trAPPed” narrates the experience of an Indian neurologist who was deceived by cybercriminals pretending to be officials.She was placed under what was described as a “digital arrest” through her phone, forcing her into isolation while money was withdrawn from her accounts.The story highlighted the growing sophistication and risks of such scams.
In another notable recognition, Aniruddha Ghosal was part of a team that won in the International Reporting category.
Their investigation exposed how surveillance technologies, initially developed in places like Silicon Valley, are being used by agencies such as the US Border Patrol and have also spread to countries including China.
The Pulitzer Prize, awarded by Columbia University, is regarded as one of the highest honours in journalism. This recognition underscores the critical role journalists play in uncovering complex issues such as cyber fraud, human trafficking, and digital surveillance.