Costa Rican Journalist Awarded Pulitzer Prize

A Costa Rican journalist is proud to have been awarded the first Pulitzer Prize for a radio broadcast, for her work “The Out Crowd.” She researched for nine-months to put this piece together, interviewing migrants and immigration officials on the Mexico-U.S. border.

The audio-journalist, Nadia Reiman, lived in the U.S. since she was eight-years-old. When the “Stay in Mexico” immigration policy came into effect, in January 2019, she could not sit by. She had to get on the front lines and tell the stories of those fleeing violence, adrift waiting for possible entry into the U.S. She put them together and broadcast it on “This American Life,” an audio journalism program that goes out via radio, iTunes, and Spotify.

She sees the Pulitzer as a stamp of approval that says her work is important and should be heard. It’s an achievement that she “would never have imagined.” She prides herself in knowing that what she puts out is well-researched and true. She found reliable sources of first-hand information of the hardships faced by those turned away from the U.S. to wait in Mexico.

The journalist found that many of the immigration officials believe they are forced to do something illegal, send people back to harm. While people used to be let into the U.S. and have a trial to prove their asylum case, most are now interviewed about specifically Mexico, even if they are from another country. Most can not show proof of credible threats in Mexico so they are turned back to wait there.