Turkish photojournalist earns finalist nod for Pulitzer

ISTANBUL

A heartrending photograph capturing a father holding his deceased daughter's hand amidst the rubble of last year's devastating earthquakes in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, has earned a Turkish photojournalist a finalist nod in the 2024 Pulitzer Prizes.

In the recently announced 2024 Pulitzer Prizes, renowned for celebrating the pinnacle of journalism, a photograph captured by Adem Altan, a Turkish photojournalist with the French Press Agency (AFP), was named a finalist.

The powerful image, taken in the aftermath of last year's earthquakes that struck Türkiye and killed more than 50,000 people, shows a father holding the hand of his daughter buried in the rubble. The poignant moment was nominated in the "Breaking News Photography" category. While Altan's work was highly commended, the award in his category went to a team from Reuters.

Gaza war featured in Pulitzer Prizes

Meanwhile, the New York Times won a Pulitzer in international reporting for its "wide-ranging and revelatory coverage of Hamas's lethal attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7," as well as reporting on "the Israeli military's sweeping, deadly response."

Reuters won the award for breaking news photography for its "raw and urgent" coverage of the October 7 attack and Israeli response, while a special citation recognized "journalists and media workers covering the war in Gaza."

"This war has also claimed the lives of poets and writers," the committee said. "As the Pulitzer Prizes honor categories of journalism, arts and letters, we mark the loss of invaluable records of the human experience."