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Deborah Nelson

Deborah Nelson is a Pulitzer prize-winning freelance journalist at Reuters and the Associate Professor of Investigative Reporting at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism[1] at the University of Maryland.

Nelson earned her B.S. in Journalism from Northern Illinois University and her J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law in 1987. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maryland in 2006, she was the Washington investigations editor for the Los Angeles Times,[2] the national investigative team reporter for The Washington Post,[3] and a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.


In 1997, Nelson won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting[4][5] for her investigative work for the Seattle Times, exposing “widespread corruption and inequities in the federally-sponsored housing program for Native Americans, which inspired much-needed reforms.”[4]


In 2008, she received critical acclaim[6] for her book, The War Behind Me: Vietnam Veterans Confront the Truth about U.S. War Crimes, which investigates declassified Army papers on Vietnam-era war crimes and uncovers the lives of soldiers who were witness to the crimes.


Nelson currently teaches courses on investigative reporting and media law and is on the advisory boards of the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Investigative Reporting Workshop.

1997, “Tribal Housing: From Deregulation to Disgrace,” Seattle Times

Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting

for Excellence in Journalism, 2019, "Ambushed at Home," Reuters

Sidney Hillman Prize

Edgar A. Poe Award, 2019,"Ambushed at Home," Reuters

White House Correspondents' Association

Sigma Delta Chi Award, 2019, "Ambushed at Home," Reuters

Society of Professional Journalists

Award for Consumer Journalism, 2019, "Ambushed at Home," Reuters

National Press Club

Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award, 2017, “The Uncounted," Reuters

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Deadline Club Award for Enterprise Reporting, 2017, “The Uncounted," Reuters

Society of Professional Journalists

Communication Award, 2015, "Water's Edge," Reuters

National Academies of Sciences

Sigma Delta Chi Award, 2014, "Water's Edge" Reuters

Society of Professional Journalists

Award for Consumer Journalism, 2015, "Water's Edge," Reuters

National Press Club

Sigma Delta Chi Award, 2001, “Body Hunters,” Washington Post

Society of Professional Journalists

Award for business reporting, 2001, “Body Hunters,” Washington Post

Overseas Press Club of America

Award, 2000, “Gene Therapy,” Washington Post

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism, 1999, “Trading Away the West,” Seattle Times

John B. Oakes

Clarion Award, 1997, “Tribal Housing: From Deregulation to Disgrace,” Seattle Times

Women in Communications

National Housing Journalism Award, 1991, “The Slum Brokers,” Chicago Sun-Times

"," Reuters (Nov. 1, Dec. 28, 2018) with Michael B. Pell.

Ambushed at Home: The hazardous, squalid housing of American military families

"," Reuters (Sep. 7, Nov. 18, Dec. 15, Dec. 22, 2016) with Ryan McNeill and Yasmeen Abutaleb.

The Uncounted: The Epidemic America is Ignoring

“," Reuters (Jul. 10, Sep. 4, Sep. 17, Nov. 24, 2014) with Ryan McNeill and Duff Wilson.

Water's Edge: The Crisis of Rising Sea Levels

“,” Reuters (Dec. 18, 2012) with Himanshu Ojha.

The Unequal State of America: Redistributing Up

“,” Mother Jones (Nov. – Dec. 2011).

The Cruelest Show on Earth

The War Behind Me: Vietnam Veterans Confront the Truth About U.S. War Crimes (Basic Books; 2008).

“Vietnam: The War Crimes Files,” The Los Angeles Times (Aug. 6 and 20, 2006) with Nick Turse.

“Body Hunters,” The Washington Post (Dec. 17 – 22, 2000) with a team of reporters.

“Gene Therapy,” The Washington Post (Sept. 1999 – Nov. 2000) with Rick Weiss.

“Trading Away the West,” The Seattle Times (Sept. 27 – Oct 2, 1998) with Jim Simon, Danny Westneat and Eric Nalder.

“,” The Seattle Times (Dec. 1 – 5, 1996) with Eric Nalder and Alex Tizon.

Tribal Housing: From Deregulation to Disgrace

“The Wenatchee Sex Crime Case: Evidence on Trial,” The Seattle Times (Nov. 26 – 27, 1995) with Marla Williams, Duff Wilson and Thomas Haines.

"The Slum Brokers," Chicago Sun-Times (Jun 30 – Jul 2, 1991) with Tom Brune.

Philip Merrill College of Journalism. University of Maryland, 2014. Web.

"Deborah Nelson."

Nelson, Deborah. (2014). Curriculum Vitae. Retrieved from

http://www.merrill.umd.edu/sites/default/files/Deborah%20Nelson%20CV%209-30-2014.docx