Pulitzer Prize 2018: Kendrick Lamar in music, The New York Times and The New Yorker in journalism

The 2018 Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday in New York. American rapper Kendrick Lamar was awarded in the music category for his album “DAMN.”, a first for a hip-hop artist, while journalists from the New York Times and The New Yorker magazine received this highest award from the journalism for their coverage of the Harvey Weinstein case.

American rapper Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer 2018 for his album “DAMN.”. This is a first for a hip-hop artist and more broadly for modern popular music. It is also new recognition for the man who, at 30, has already won 12 Grammy Awards, including 5 for “DAMN.” at the last ceremony.

The Pulitzer Council named him on the basis of his latest album, “a virtuoso collection of tunes unified by the authenticity of its language and rhythmic dynamics that offer landmark photos capturing the complexity of modern life. African Americans”.

“DAMN.” reached number one on the US record sales chart in early May 2017. His two previous albums had reached number one. A follower of very fluid phrasing, Kendrick Lamar is considered a political rapper, who regularly evokes social issues in his titles. He is from the poor neighborhood of Compton in Los Angeles.

His title “Alright”, from his previous album, “To Pimp a Butterfly”, has become the unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter protest movement which denounces police violence against black people. “DAMN.” is another opportunity to talk about the condition of blacks in the United States, especially in the track “XXX”, with U2 as a guest, but the album is very personal. Kendrick Lamar evokes the consequences of his new celebrity on his existence.

Journalists from The New York Times and The New Yorker magazine on Monday received the Pulitzer Prize, the highest honor for journalism in the United States, for their coverage of the Harvey Weinstein case which they revealed in early October 2017. The New York Times’ Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey and The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow won in the “public service journalism” category.

Ronan Farrow is the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow. Since his work on Harvey Weinstein, he has published several articles, in the “New Yorker”, on scandals linked to Donald Trump. “Very, very, very proud of @RonanFarrow,” the actress tweeted after the awards announcement. The first New York Times article devoted to the actions of Harvey Weinstein, published on October 5, had the effect of a bomb. He cited the testimonies of several women claiming to have been harassed by the Hollywood producer, creator of the Miramax studio, in particular that of actress Ashley Judd.

He also reported the existence of an amicable agreement concluded between Harvey Weinstein and another actress, Rose McGowan, paid 100,000 dollars in exchange for her silence on an incident which occurred in 1997. Later, the actress affirmed that it was rape.

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of The New York Times, December 2017 (Theo Wargo / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Just five days after the publication of the New York Times article, the New Yorker posted a long article online evoking other accusations against Harvey Weinstein. In these two articles, the cinema magnate was depicted as a sexual predator playing with his power and benefiting from the benevolence, even the complicity of part of his entourage and the cinema world.

These revelations have freed the words of former alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein and the case has triggered the fall of dozens of powerful men in film, television, media and politics. One of them was the Republican candidate for the Senate in the State of Alabama, Roy Moore, caught up with accusations of sexual assault on minors. The Washington Post was the first to publish the testimony of four women presenting themselves as alleged victims of this former ultra-conservative magistrate.

The Pulitzer Prize in the investigative journalism category was awarded to the daily for this series of articles on the past of the ex-judge. “In the journalism category, again this year, the winners embody the values ​​of a free and independent press, even in the most difficult times,” commented Pulitzer administrator Dana Canedy. The media has faced “continuous attacks of late” but “remains a central element in a healthy democracy”.

The New York Times and The Washington Post also received the National Journalism Award for their “continuous coverage…which significantly deepened the country’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. and his ties to the Trump campaign, the transition team and the current administration.” This is the fourth time in a row that The Washington Post has been honored in this category.

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Pulitzer Prize 2018: Kendrick Lamar in music, The New York Times and The New Yorker in journalism