WashPo, NYT Win Pulitzer Prizes for Coverage of Trump, Putin

The Pulitzer Prize board announced it has awarded journalism prizes to the Washington Post and New York Times for their reporting in 2016 seeking to debunk Donald Trump’s gifts to charities and making allegations about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s moves against opponents outside the country.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold received his award "[f]or persistent reporting that created a model for transparent journalism in political campaign coverage while casting doubt on Donald Trump’s assertions of generosity toward charities," the announcement said on Monday.

The New York Times staff received its prize for an alleged "agenda-setting" reporting on Putin’s efforts to project Russia’s power abroad, the announcement from the Columbia School of Journalism said.

In January, the US Intelligence Community issued a report alleging that Russia may have interfered with the US presidential election in 2016, but without any substantial proof.

Russia has repeatedly denied Washington's claims of its alleged meddling in the election.Russian President Vladimir Putin also issued a direct denial of allegations that his country influenced the US presidential elections.

The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature and musical composition in the United States, according to published sources.