Pulitzer Center

10/28/2025

Are you ready to learn how environmental journalists are using AI?

While Large Language Models (LLMs) are at the center of discussions about artificial intelligence applications, there are a vast number of initiatives and developments deploying models for geospatial analysis, supporting ambitious environmental investigations.

From the temporal analysis of satellite imagery to land use classification, these models, inspired by traditional methods of geographical information systems (GIS), allow large scale research of trends and provide unique insights. These new possibilities are especially attractive for journalists investigating environmental damage and have opened new avenues to holding accountable some of the most important global supply chains.

In this webinar, promoted in partnership by Cambridge Digital Humanities (CDH), Earth Genome, Pulitzer Center, and Watershed Investigations, participants will present examples of the current existing models deployed in environmental investigations, discussing their strengths and limitations.

Panelists: Anne Alexander (Cambridge Digital Humanities); Edward Boyda (Earth Genome); Federico Acosta Rainis (Pulitzer Center); Rachel Salvidge (Watershed)

Moderator: Gustavo Faleiros
Date & time: November 4, 2025 | 4:00pm-5:30pm GMT
Register now!

While Large Language Models (LLMs) are at the center of discussions about artificial intelligence applications, there are a vast number of initiatives and developments deploying models for geospatial analysis, supporting ambitious environmental investigations. From the temporal analysis of satellite...

10/24/2025

The Pulitzer Center's AI Accountability Network is excited to present its fourth cohort of Fellows!

These eight journalists will work toward deepening understanding of the environmental cost of AI’s infrastructure, the impact of AI chatbots on mental health, and AI companies’ roles in misinformation and child sexual abuse, among other topics.

“Amid the current hype around AI technologies, we are thrilled to partner with eight fantastic journalists who will ask the tough questions, dig through data and documents, and center humans in their storytelling,” said Marina Walker Guevara, the Pulitzer Center’s executive editor.

By establishing cross-border collaborations, the Fellows will extend the reach of their reporting and combine breakthrough journalism and audience engagement to create world-changing impact.

Get to know Ibrahim Adeyemi, Tatsiana Ashurkevich, Patricia Clarke, Miguel Dobrich, Laís Martins, Jonathan Moens, Sheref Morad, and Si Err Yap.

👉 https://bit.ly/PCAiAcc

10/24/2025

Dark ships sail unseen, stealing marine wealth and endangering coastal communities. Who benefits from these modern pirates, and who pays the price?

Find out in Conversation Corner: “Why Are Modern Pirates Still Ruling Our Seas?”

A dialogue between journalists and scientists revealing the hidden networks of illegal fishing.

🗓️ Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 19.00–21.00 WIB
📍 Online via Zoom

Featuring field investigations by Pulitzer Center Fellows:
🌊 Abdus Somad — The Dark Side of the Natuna and Arafura Sea
🌊 Suzanne Paxton & Lizette Labuschagne — Unseen Destruction of South Africa’s Marine Protected Areas

Register here 👉 bit.ly/CCPulitzerEps1

*English–Indonesian translator provided

10/21/2025

Do you serve K-12 students and/or educators? Looking for an exciting opportunity to implement your creative project ideas this school year? Applications for our new K-12 Education Grant Program are now open!

This program will explore how engaging learning communities in global health reporting can bridge divides, surface solutions, and inspire action that improves health outcomes.

This program consists of three main components: the initial proposal, a collaborative winter incubator, and project implementation. After proposing educational projects, accepted applicants will refine their project plans in a series of workshops and submit formal grant proposals to secure $1,500 grants to fund project implementation in spring 2026.

We welcome applications from people serving K-12 students and teachers in a wide range of contexts, including libraries, museums, community centers, schools, small businesses, and municipal programs. Proposed health-inspired projects should serve at least 500 K-12 students and/or educators in the U.S. and U.S. territories, and we encourage applicants working with smaller groups to collaborate and apply as a multisite or multi-organizational project.

Read full program details, eligibility requirements, and important dates at https://bit.ly/48HTMii

If there is someone in your network who may be eligible and interested for this program, please forward this post!

Don’t wait—All proposals are due Sunday, November 16, 2025.

10/15/2025

Last year, emerging journalists in the Pulitzer Center’s 2024 Reporting Fellowship program captured how climate change is reshaping landscapes, livelihoods, and cultural traditions around the world.

From the Naadam summer festival in Mongolia to the melting snow in Nepal’s Himalayas and the dwindling mangroves in Lagos, Nigeria, the three stories highlighted by ‘Pulitzer Shorts: On the Frontlines’ reveal what is at stake if climate change continues to go unchecked. The films also share the vision of a new generation responding to a changing planet.

In observance of International Climate Day of Action, tune in to our virtual encore showcase with DCEFF for a program that can be streamed any time Thursday, October 16, through Sunday, October 26, from wherever you call home. Pre-order now to receive a reminder when the screenings become available to watch.

👉 https://watch.eventive.org/dceffclimate/play/68dab5696fdfdf3b717d434d

10/15/2025

Last year, emerging journalists in the Pulitzer Center’s 2024 Reporting Fellowship program captured how climate change is reshaping landscapes, livelihoods, and cultural traditions around the world. From the Naadam summer festival in Mongolia to the melting snow in Nepal’s Himalayas and the dwindling mangroves in Lagos, Nigeria, the three stories highlighted by ‘Pulitzer Shorts: On the Frontlines’ reveal what is at stake if climate change continues to go unchecked. The films also share the vision of a new generation responding to a changing planet.

In observance of International Climate Day of Action, tune in to our virtual encore film screening with DCEFF for a program that can be streamed any time Thursday, October 16, through Sunday, October 26, from wherever you call home.

Pre-order it now in the link in our bio and receive a reminder when the screenings become available to watch.

10/14/2025

We have a new toolkit! And trust us, this one will change how you structure your reporting.

Our data team, Kuang Keng Kuek Ser and Federico Acosta Rainis, made an easy-to-read toolkit on how non-coding journalists can build web scrapers with AI. They included examples and prompts.

Before embarking on a data-driven investigation, we usually ask three questions:
▪️ Is the data publicly available?
▪️ How good is the quality of the data?
▪️ How difficult is it to access the data?

Even if the first two answers are a clear yes, we still can’t celebrate because the last question is often the most challenging and time-consuming step in the process. But we want to make it easy for you and your investigative teams!

So come read 👉 https://bit.ly/4ongFw8 🧰

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And, if you want to ask questions, there’s still time to register for our scraping webinar happening today at 4:00pm GMT.

Register here ✍️ https://bit.ly/42E34Ii

Data is a crucial part of investigative journalism: It helps journalists verify hypotheses, reveal hidden insights, follow the money, scale investigations, and add credibility to stories. The Pulitzer...

10/10/2025

“In this territory, the Indigenous people are more protected than in any other part of Brazil, in the Amazon. They are one of the last bastions of hope that tomorrow we will have a more habitable planet,” Grantee Daniel Biasetto said. “These Indigenous people are the guardians of the forest.”

Biasetto and fellow grantee John Reid reported on uncontacted groups of people living between Peru and Brazil who are being pushed off their land by loggers and climate change.

To report this investigation, they worked extensively with agents from Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas [National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples, FUNAI], a Brazilian organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of Indigenous groups.

Together with the agents, they trekked through the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo territory for days to reach a site where they could collect data on the well-being of the Kawahiva people without ever seeing or speaking with them.

Pulitzer Center's Editorial intern, Ella Beiser spoke with Biasetto and Reid about reporting ethically on uncontacted indigenous people, building trust with sources, and their hopes for the future.

Read this interview! 👉 https://bit.ly/42tyJMD

10/09/2025

The Torre Centinela looms over the city of Juárez. 20 stories high, it houses a massive state surveillance project powered by AI.

The operation, called Plataforma Centinela, will deploy nearly 10,000 cameras, including almost 2,000 license plate readers, and 13 police command centers with the stated purpose to improve public safety.

Despite being touted by Governor Greg Abbott as “the best border security plan that I’ve seen from any governor from Mexico”, residents and activists alike are alarmed at the project.

Other academics worry that this technology will be misused as law enforcement has been historically involved with organized crime in Mexico.

Tony Payan, director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University says, “There seems to be an utter degree of incompetence by the Mexican government at just about all levels to prevent their law enforcement agencies, their surveillance agencies, the information that is shared, from being used by organized criminals or handed over to organized criminals.”

Governor of Chihuahua, María Eugenia Campos Galván, has promised to share data with Abbott via a migrant biometrics database, an anti-drone system and permanent tracking of cross-border shipments. “The state of Texas could have eyes in this side of the border,” Campos Galván’s office said. It is unclear to what extent Texas authorities have been able to access any of such information to date.

Patrick Williams, lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, argues that the use of machine learning in predictive policing will only replicate past policing practices. “Rather than ‘predictive’ policing, it’s simply, ‘predictable’ policing. [It] will always drive against those who are already marginalised,” Williams said.

Pulitzer Center AI Fellow Francesca D'Annunzio spoke with activists, academics and political figures about AI-powered state surveillance in Juárez for the Texas Observer. This story was part of a larger project titled “The AI-Powered Eyes of Texas”, an investigation into border surveillance powered by Abbott’s multi-billion-Dollar Operation Lone Star.

Images by Omar Ornelas.

👉 https://bit.ly/46h18GP

10/09/2025

Gold-standard on paper. Devastating in practice.

In the last 20 years, European governments—including Dutch development bank FMO, France’s AFD, Belgium’s BIO, Austria’s OeEB, and Norway’s Norfund—have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into Cambodian loan firms.

Borrowers and family members say pressures from credit officers have contributed to su***des.

“Microfinance institutions and their investors must take the situation seriously and ensure that their activities do not deepen the burdens faced by affected communities,” said Eang Vuthy, executive director of the Cambodian NGO Equitable Cambodia.

Leila Goldstein and Phon Sothyroth report for Follow The Money. 👇

Om dit rapport in het Nederlands te lezen, klik hier. Content warning: This article discusses su***de. In a country that is struggling with poverty and high illiteracy rates, Europe-funded firms are...