Linda So, a Korean-American Reporter, Wins the 2026 Pulitzer Prize

Inteveiw with her parent by Prof. Dr. Semoon Chang

Reuters Investigative Reporter Linda So Wins 2026 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting

Since it is such a great honor for a second-generation Korean American to receive the 2026 Pulitzer Prize, I conducted an interview with her parents, James and Myung So, who live in Leisure World, where I also reside.

[PHOTO 1: Linda So. Photo by Prof. Dr. Semoon Chang]

The elder James So and his wife, Myung, moved into Leisure World on September 1, 2022, from Annapolis. Their daughter, Linda So, was born in 1979 in Baltimore. Linda earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Maryland. According to her parents, beginning in her youth and continuing throughout her career, Connie Chung — one of the first women reporters on national television and the first Asian American anchor of a major network newscast — has been her idol. Well, it may have paid off.

[PHOTO 2: Linda’s parents, James and Myung So, Photo by Prof. Dr. Semoon Chang]

Even before the May 4, 2026 announcement of the Pulitzer Award, Linda So had received a series of prestigious honors. She received the George Polk Award for Reuters’ “Campaign of Fear” series on threats against U.S. election workers in 2022, and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Reuters’ “Dying Inside” investigation into deaths in U.S. jails in 2021, among many others.

She is currently a reporter on the Reuters investigative politics team. Previously, she worked as a reporter and weekend anchor at Baltimore Channel 2, an ABC affiliate, before moving to Reuters in 2012. Apparently, Linda showed a natural talent for investigative reporting: she was selected from 300 applicants when Reuters hired her.

The 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time by the Pulitzer Prize Board. The Pulitzer Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the United States for journalism, literature, music, and public service. In the National Reporting category, the prize was awarded to the staff of Reuters, notably Ned Parker, Linda So, Peter Eisler, and Mike Spector. The Pulitzer Prize Board recognized the team “for documenting how the president used the U.S. government and the influence of his supporters to expand executive power and exact vengeance on his foes.”

The citation noted that Linda So and her investigative team at Reuters documented “at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership — from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.”

The other two finalists in the National Reporting category in 2026 were the staff of Bloomberg and the staff of The Washington Post. Linda So currently resides in Bethesda with her husband, daughter, and two sons. We, the Korean American community, can rightly feel immense pride in Linda’s accomplishment.

A note on one item worth verifying before publication: I would recommend double-checking the exact wording and date of the Pulitzer citation against the official Pulitzer Prize Board announcement, since direct quotations from awarding bodies need to match the source verbatim. If the wording differs from your draft, the quotation marks should be adjusted accordingly. I also normalized the date format and a few small punctuation items but preserved your voice, structure, and factual content throughout.

Reference:

1. Pulitzer.org, Staff of Reuters, notably Ned Parker, Linda So, Peter Eisler and Mike Spector, https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/staff-reuters-notably-ned-parker-linda-so-peter-eisler-and-mike-spector

2. Kyong-Hyang Daily, Second-generation Korean American journalist Linda So wins Pulitzer Prize, https://www.khan.co.kr/en/article/202605101641007

About the Author

Prof. Dr. Semoon Chang is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of South Alabama, where he spent his entire professional career and served as Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research. Together with his late wife, he established the Semoon and Youngshin Chang Award for Humanitarian Services, a permanent endowment created in 2010 at the University of South Alabama, with the recipient selected each year by the University Faculty Senate. His record of volunteer service is extensive: he served as Vice Chair of the United Way of Southwest Alabama (1994–95), President of the Association for University Business and Economic Research (AUBER, 1998–99), and President of the Korea-American Economic Association (KAEA, 1999). Upon retirement, Dr. Chang moved to Leisure World of Maryland. He currently serves on the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Leadership Council of Compassion & Choices, the leading organization of the medical aid in dying movement.

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