Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown on Monday was honored by the Pulitzer Prize Board for her groundbreaking and impactful investigation into sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and the people and institutions that enabled him to abuse girls for decades.
The 2026 Pulitzer Prizes also recognized the Miami Herald and WLRN journalists as finalists in the Local Reporting category for their joint investigation into the systemic failures that made Florida’s Brightline the deadliest major passenger train in the nation.
“I could not be more proud of how hard our journalists work to bring such meaningful revelations to our community, or more grateful to have their accomplishments recognized by the Pulitzer board,” said Alex Mena, executive editor of the Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald. “Both of these projects required extensive digging and drove positive change in our community and beyond.”
Brown’s special citation from the Pulitzer board is unique in that it recognizes not only her work from the past year, but the totality of her journalistic career and in particular her revelations about Epstein’s global sex-trafficking network and the people who protected him. Her explosive Epstein investigation, Perversion of Justice, ricocheted across the globe when it was published in 2018. Today, the so‑called Epstein Files have become an indispensable resource for journalists, researchers and investigators, revealing the scope of Epstein’s abuses, his connections to powerful figures, and the institutional breakdowns that allowed his crimes to persist…