From the Nominator

My interview with Princeton University Ph.D. student Elizabeth Tsurkov for this feature came more than two years after I first heard her name, in the tragic context of her kidnapping by a terrorist group while conducting field research overseas. Obviously, I could not interview Elizabeth herself at that time, so I instead got in touch with her family, friends, and peers. For the next two years, I kept in touch with them while writing several articles about Elizabeth. I maintained these relationships even when there weren’t any updates, in the hopes that one day there would be. When Elizabeth was finally freed last year, I was one of only a handful of reporters that thus far has been offered an interview, and I directly contribute that to my relationships with my sources.   Our goal with this piece was to share Elizabeth's very unique story. Elizabeth said she was so thankful for our initial coverage, as it helped raise awareness and put pressure on governmental officials. When this article was published, Elizabeth described it as “so awesome and so funny.” This award submission was inspired by a source who offered to write a letter of recommendation for the piece because of how pleased they were with the article. I’m so glad and immensely proud that I was able to bring a smile to Elizabeth’s face, while also bringing important news to the Princeton community and beyond.

From the Judges

The judge panel agreed, first-rate journalism! The story resulted from years of work following the story and cultivating sources/relationships. So much work went into preparing for the interview and so much time and thought went into the approach to interviews and the incredible storytelling. This departs from a traditional alumni profile and holds a mirror to the institution as well.