Chicago Newsroom's Podcast Wins Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting

It was in 2017 when Jamie Kalven first crossed paths with Yohance Lacour, and a deep connection was formed between the two men. Mr. Kalven, the visionary behind the Invisible Institute, an esteemed non-profit newsroom in Chicago, had been immersed in the Stateway Gardens housing development back in 1997. During that time, a horrendous hate crime shook the community to its core. Coincidentally, Mr. Lacour had contributed to the coverage of this event for a local newspaper.

With Mr. Kalven's invaluable assistance, Mr. Lacour's memories of that critical period, along with the tumultuous account of his subsequent imprisonment on a drug conspiracy charge, became the captivating subject of an 11-episode podcast titled "You Didn’t See Nothin." This compelling production achieved the remarkable feat of clinching the esteemed Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting, a testament to its profound impact and storytelling prowess.

Notably, the podcast by Mr. Lacour secured one of the two prestigious Pulitzers conferred upon the Invisible Institute this year. Renowned for its unwavering commitment to holding local authorities accountable, this small yet formidable newsroom situated on Chicago’s South Side garnered further acclaim as its data director, Trina Reynolds-Tyler, received the other Pulitzer Prize for her stellar investigative series shedding light on the plight of missing Black girls and women in Chicago.