Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
The Pulitzer Prize for Commentary is an annual award administered by Columbia University to honor distinguished commentary published by an American news organization, using any available journalistic tools, with a monetary prize of $15,000.[1] Established in 1970, the prize recognizes opinion journalism that combines originality, clarity, and persuasive insight on public issues, often through columns that influence national discourse.[2] Notable recipients include William A. Caldwell of The Record as the inaugural winner in 1971 for his compelling suburban-focused columns, conservative voices such as Charles Krauthammer in 1987 for witty national issue analysis and Peggy Noonan in 2017 for her reflections on political leadership, and more recent honorees like Michael Paul Williams in 2021 for scrutinizing corruption and civil rights in Virginia.[3] The category has occasionally sparked debate, particularly the 2020 award to Nikole Hannah-Jones for her 1619 Project essay, which prompted calls for revocation from academic groups citing historical inaccuracies, such as the unsubstantiated claim that the American Revolution was primarily fought to preserve slavery, highlighting tensions between journalistic impact and empirical rigor in evaluative institutions.[4]