JOURNALIST Malachy Browne became the second New York-based Limerick man to win a Pulitzer Prize last week when he was part of an investigations team honoured for their work on a series of stories about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
A native of Broadford, Mr Browne (44) is a nephew of well-known broadcaster and journalist Vincent Browne. He studied engineering in UCD and international relations in UL before entering journalism.
He works with the New York Times where he led an investigation into the intentional bombing of Syrian hospitals by Russian aircraft, a story which lead to widespread condemnation of the Putin regime.
It was his second major journalistic accolade, having picked up an Emmy award in 2018 when he was a member of the New York Times team that worked on an investigative film documentary on the Las Vegas massacre that claimed 58 lives in October 2017.
He joined the New York Times in 2016 having previously worked with Dublin-based social media service Storyful. He now lives in New Jersey with his wife Siobhan, who is a native of Rathkeale, and their three children.
His Pulitzer Prize was confirmed in an online announcement last Monday, some 23 years after fellow Limerick man Frank McCourt won his prize for his autobiographical novel, Angela’s Ashes.
His achievement was described as one of the highest accolades a journalist can receive by Limerick Mayor Michael Sheehan who paid tribute to Mr Browne on behalf of the people of Limerick and “especially the people of Broadford in West Limerick”
“In an era of the ‘always on’ news cycle and opinion-based as news, it is vitally important that the facts of a story are known and reported on. Malachy has strived to do this at all times.
“He has worked to uncover some of the most important stories of our times, and highlight the devastating impacts these actions have on ordinary people,” Mayor Sheehan said.
