- Reuters has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for its exposé “Fentanyl Express,” a seven-part series that penetrated the shadowy global trade in the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl
- The award recognizes the efforts of a team of Reuters journalists who infiltrated the clandestine supply chain behind one of the deadliest drug epidemics in North America’s history
- In a bold and risky move, the Reuters team went undercover to purchase the ingredients needed to make fentanyl, using the transactions to map the intricate and often overlooked supply routes that fuel the opioid crisis
- Thomson Reuters stock (TSX:TRI) opened trading at C$255.81
Reuters has been awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for its exposé “Fentanyl Express,” a seven-part series that penetrated the shadowy global trade in the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl — the synthetic opioid at the center of a crisis that has claimed the lives of more than 450,000 Americans and nearly 50,000 Canadians from 2016 to 2024.
The award recognizes the efforts of a team of Reuters journalists who infiltrated the clandestine supply chain behind one of the deadliest drug epidemics in North America’s history. Reporters Maurice Tamman, Laura Gottesdiener, Stephen Eisenhammer, Drazen Jorgic, Daisy Chung, Kristina Cooke, Michael Martina, Antoni Slodkowski, and Shannon Stapleton, under the editorial leadership of investigative editor Marla Dickerson and visual editor Feilding Cage, conducted a months-long investigation that exposed how Chinese-made precursor chemicals are easily and cheaply available — and how global and U.S. authorities have struggled to stop their flow.
In a bold and risky move, the Reuters team went undercover to purchase the ingredients needed to make fentanyl, using the transactions to map the intricate and often overlooked supply routes that fuel the opioid crisis. Their reporting revealed how these chemicals are marketed online, shipped with minimal oversight, and distributed through a loosely regulated international network.
“Fentanyl Express” not only illuminated the mechanics of this deadly trade but also laid bare the failures of successive U.S. administrations — from Trump to Biden — to effectively disrupt it, despite high-profile diplomatic and law enforcement efforts.
The series has already garnered significant acclaim, including honors from the White House Correspondents’ Association and the Overseas Press Club.
“We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award, which recognizes the tireless and courageous efforts of our journalists to shed light on one of the most pressing issues of our time,” Reuters’ editor-in-chief, Alessandra Galloni said in a news release. “The ‘Fentanyl Express’ series is a testament to the power of investigative journalism to drive change and hold those in power accountable. I am incredibly proud of the team for their dedication to reporting this important story in unique, rich and searing detail.”
The Pulitzer Board commended the series for its “fearless reporting, innovative investigative techniques, and powerful storytelling that brought clarity and urgency to a complex and devastating crisis.”
The Reuters news agency, under parent company Thomson Reuters (TSX:TRI) supplies business, financial and global news to media organizations, professionals and news consumers. Thomson Reuters Corp. provides business information services.
Thomson Reuters stock (TSX:TRI) opened trading at C$255.81.
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