Baltimore Banner wins Pulitzer Prize for local reporting

The Baltimore Banner won a Pulitzer Prize in the Local Reporting Category for its exploratory investigative series focusing on Baltimore’s opioid crisis with an overdose rate nearly double any other large city in the country.

The Banner’s pioneering data analysis and investigative reporting found the epidemic disproportionally affected older Black men in Baltimore and led to local reforms, including the closing of a drug treatment center in Baltimore, as well as providing a blueprint for similar reporting by publications in other cities across the country.

Baltimore Banner reporters Alissa Zhu, Nick Thieme and Jessica Gallagher, in partnership with The New York Times investigative fellowship, led the two-year reporting effort behind the investigative series of more than 25 stories published to date, including:

• Almost 6,000 Dead in 6 Years: How Baltimore Became the U.S. Overdose Capital
• They Entered Treatment. Drugs, Overdoses and Deaths Followed.
• A horrific number of older Black men are dying from overdoses in Baltimore

“The Pulitzer Prize is one of the highest honors in journalism, and for The Banner to receive this recognition so early in our journey is both humbling and deeply meaningful,” said Baltimore Banner Editor in Chief Kimi Yoshino. “Winning a Pulitzer speaks to the power and importance of nonprofit, locally focused journalism and is a tribute to the strength of our newsroom in uncovering the worst drug overdose crisis in U.S. history.”

“The Banner launched not even three years ago, so this award is a powerful signal that we are making great progress in our mission to inform and strengthen communities in Maryland through trusted and independent journalism,” said Banner CEO Bob Cohn. “It’s thrilling, and humbling, to be in the company of some of the best news organizations in the country.”

Just shy of its third anniversary, The Banner is the largest newsroom in Maryland, with 85 full-time journalists. In the last year, Banner subscriptions grew by 57% and circulation now tops 63,000, with paid subscribers in all 24 Maryland counties. The Banner is on track to reach sustainability, with revenue growing by 40% in 2024 compared to the previous year.