Jeremy Gorner (LAS ‘04), Claire Malon (CMN ’21, ’22), Laura Rodríguez Presa (CMN ‘14) and Richard Requena (CMN ’21, ’23) can now add Pulitzer Prize winners to their lists of accomplishments. They were part of the Chicago Tribune team whose reporting on immigration enforcement won the local reporting category of journalism’s most prestigious awards.
“I knew that it was more important than ever to speak up and to share what everyone else was experiencing,” Rodriguez Presa said of her reporting. She has taught bilingual journalism at DePaul and advised Pueblo and La DePaulia, Spanish-language student publications.
DePaul’s Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence honored Gorner with the Distinguished Alumni award in 2021. As a DePaul student Gorner wrote for The DePaulia.
During his time at DePaul, Requena cofounded Pueblo, the bilingual publication covering the Latino community on campus and beyond in partnership with the student magazine 14 East. He will speak at the upcoming 10th anniversary celebration of 14 East on May 22.
Claire Malon, a content editor and data reporter for the Tribune, also worked with 14 East, starting off as a contributing writer and later serving as engagement editor. She was also a contributing writer for The DePaulia.
“We could not be prouder of our alumni who were part of this prize-winning coverage,” shares professor and chair of the journalism program Jason Martin. “Every day they set the example of thorough and ethical reporting on the stories that inform and matter most to the people of Chicago."
“This recognition is a powerful reflection of the talent of these remarkable alumni and the college’s enduring mission to prepare journalists with the courage to tell the stories that matter and serve the public good. Congratulations to the entire Chicago Tribute reporting team on this amazing achievement” says Lexa Muphy, dean of the College of Communication.
Rodríguez Presa, Gorner and Malon continue to report for the Chicago Tribune, while Requena is a court reporter for the Times of Northwest Indiana.
Read more about their stories in the Chicago Tribune and Pulitzer Prize’s website.