Journalists angry as Politico’s abortion scoop overlooked for Pulitzer.

Politico Snubbed for Pulitzer Prize Despite Publishing Leaked Draft of Supreme Court’s Decision on Roe v. Wade

Journalists are up in arms after Politico failed to win a Pulitzer Prize for publishing a leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. Despite the controversy surrounding the decision, the identity of the leaker remains unknown.

What They’re Saying

• “It’s a travesty. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I can’t believe it. Come on.” – Former Politico reporter
• “[Politico] and [Josh Gerstein] and team deserved better.” – Another former Politico journalist
• “[Politico] should have won [the Pulitzer].” – Jim Manley, former aide to Ted Kennedy

According to Vanity Fair, there have been “behind-the-scenes whispers that Politico was judged unfairly,” and questions about why the Pulitzer overlords moved Politico’s submission from the National Reporting category to the Breaking News category. The Washington Post won the National News category for its own abortion-themed coverage, while the Los Angeles Times won the Breaking News category for reporting on L.A. City Council members saying racist things in leaked conversations.

At least one anonymous New York Times reporter expressed disappointment with the Pulitzer board’s decision, saying, “That Politico story was a wake-up call for everybody to sort of say, one body of these three branches of government is not getting equal scrutiny to the other two, and we need to do something about that.”

Despite the controversy, the identity of the leaker remains a mystery.