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Malaysian-born journalist Edmund Yong (more widely known as Ed Yong) has won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting after his revelatory articles on the COVID-19 pandemic piqued the curiosities of readers all around the world.
Born in Malaysia in 1981, Yong moved to the UK in 1994 and officially became a citizen in 2005. In 2015, his rise in the niche of scientific journalism landed him a role as a staff writer with the highly-acclaimed publication The Atlantic, which is known for leading commentary on politics, healthcare, science, books, and culture among other topics.
IMAGE: Deseret
A writer with much renown in scientific circles, Yong has gained recognition in the past for his excellent work. In 2016, he was selected for the Byron H. Waksman Award for Excellence in the Public Communication of Life Sciences.
At the time, his work on his highly-praised blog Not Exactly Rocket Science (which has since shut down), his book on microbes titled I Contain Multitudes, and his work for The Atlantic were all singled out for critical acclaim. His blog was also a part of National Geographic's Phenomena network.
Stellar COVID-19 journalism.
For those unfamiliar with the award, the Pulitzer Prize is handed out annually for outstanding achievements in journalism, literature, and musical composition within the U.S.
Awards are handed out across an extensive list of categories, with some examples including Explanatory Journalism, Breaking News Reporting, Feature Writing, Feature Photography, and Poetry among others.
As for his Pulitzer win, Yong's articles on The Atlantic were praised by the Pulitzer Board in particular for their detailed coverage of the pandemic, the analysis of potential challenges in dealing with the spread, and accurate commentary on the failings of the U.S. government in combating the outbreaks.
For example, Yong's piece How the Pandemic Will End offered eye-opening commentary and insight about how the U.S. – despite being one of the most advanced nations – failed to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak during crucial moments.
And an earlier article written by Yong in 2018 titled The Next Plague is Coming. Is America Ready? eerily predicted the arrival of a devastating pandemic way before the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed.
Celebrating their writer's victory, The Atlantic – who are also treating this as their first-ever Pulitzer Prize win – have praised Yong for his accomplishment.
"Through his writing, Ed has illuminated pathways of understanding for tens of millions of our readers; he has been a sentinel, a source of brilliant analysis, a beacon of moral clarity; and he has provided comfort when it was needed the most," said The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a highlight article.
As for the man himself, Yong has promised to split the winnings between his editorial team members, all of whom he has thanked for being effective and encouraging of award-winning work.
“It was a singular honor to be able to help our readers make sense of a crisis that often defied sense,” Yong said in the article. “I’m profoundly grateful to the team of phenomenal editors, fact-checkers, copy editors, and artists who improved my work; the sources who gave me their time in a year sorely lacking in it; and everyone at the Atlantic for creating an environment in which Pulitzer-winning work was possible."
"I’m sad these stories were ever necessary, but I’m proud to have written them and I hope they made a difference.”
!!!!!!!! https://t.co/2NLaHKoVqv — Ed Yong (@edyong209) June 11, 2021
"It really takes a village, and in recognition of that, I'll be splitting the prize money between everyone who worked on my pieces last year," he added on his personal Twitter account. "Even when individuals win Pulitzers, their work depends on community. I want to honor mine."
To see Yong's acclaimed work on the COVID-19 pandemic, you can check out this list on The Atlantic which features his articles – all of which are free to read for a limited time.
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Cover image sourced from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food Navigator.
