UC alums win four Pulitzers

The University of California said on May 14 that four of its alumni were among the winners of the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes, with three honorees from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and one from UC Santa Barbara. The Pulitzer Prize Board announced the 2026 winners on May 4. (universityofcalifornia.edu) UC’s list named Kathleen Hennessey, Susie Neilson, Garance Burke and Tess Kenny as the four alumni it counted among this year’s honorees. (journalism.berkeley.edu) The awards span breaking news, explanatory reporting and international reporting, according to the university and the Pulitzer Prize website. Susie Neilson’s win drew particular attention in the UC announcement because it tied a Berkeley alumna to a California-focused investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle. (universityofcalifornia.edu) ### Which UC alumni did the university say won? UC said Kathleen Hennessey, Susie Neilson and Garance Burke are alumni of UC Berkeley Journalism, while Tess Kenny is a UC Santa Barbara alumna. The university described all four as 2026 Pulitzer honorees in a release published May 14. (universityofcalifornia.edu) UC Berkeley Journalism separately said on May 4 that Neilson, Burke and Hennessey were named Pulitzer winners by the board at Columbia University. That school’s announcement also said another eight Berkeley Journalism alumni were recognized as part of winning or finalist teams. (universityofcalifornia.edu) ### What did Susie Neilson win for? Susie Neilson shared the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting with Megan Fan Munce and Sara DiNatale of the San Francisco Chronicle for “Burned.” The Pulitzer board said the series showed how insurance companies using algorithmic tools failed Californians who lost homes to fire by undervaluing properties, denying claims and making rebuilding difficult. (universityofcalifornia.edu) The University of California said Neilson is a UC Berkeley Journalism alumna and noted that San Francisco Chronicle visuals editor Maggie Beidelman, also a Berkeley Journalism alum, supported the project. Berkeley Journalism said Neilson graduated in 2019 and had been a Pulitzer finalist a year earlier for a Chronicle series on deaths from police car chases. (journalism.berkeley.edu) ### What were the other Pulitzer-winning projects? Kathleen Hennessey, editor and senior vice president of the Minnesota Star Tribune, was credited by UC with leading the staff that won the Pulitzer for Breaking News Reporting. The Pulitzer site said the Star Tribune won for coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school Mass at a Catholic school that left two children dead and 28 wounded. (pulitzer.org) Garance Burke, a global investigative journalist at The Associated Press, shared the Pulitzer for International Reporting. The Pulitzer board said that award recognized an investigation into mass-surveillance tools created in Silicon Valley, advanced in China and later used by the U.S. (universityofcalifornia.edu) Border Patrol. UC and Berkeley Journalism both said AP video producer Serginho Roosblad, another Berkeley alum, contributed reporting. ### Why did UC put out its own list 10 days later? May 14 was the date UC published its alumni roundup, 10 days after the Pulitzer board’s May 4 announcement. The university framed the item as a record of alumni achievement and said 45 UC faculty members and numerous alumni have won Pulitzers across journalism, books, drama and music categories. (universityofcalifornia.edu) Michael D. Bolden, dean of UC Berkeley Journalism, said in Berkeley’s May 4 announcement that the school was “extraordinarily proud” of alumni whose reporting “illuminated facts in dark places and chronicled humanity in the face of brutality.” (universityofcalifornia.edu) ### Where can readers check the official citations? The Pulitzer Prize website carries the 2026 winners and category citations, including the wording for Neilson’s Explanatory Reporting award and the Minnesota Star Tribune and AP wins. The University of California post links readers to its own alumni list published May 14. May 4 remains the date of the official 2026 Pulitzer announcement, and the UC item published on May 14 serves as the university’s alumni roll call for those honors. (universityofcalifornia.edu) Readers looking for the full category list can find it on Pulitzer.org, while UC’s post identifies the four alumni it says were honored this year. (pulitzer.org 1) (pulitzer.org 2) (journalism.berkeley.edu)