Sellersville native Julie K. Brown received a Pulitzer Prize special citation this week for her reporting on the Jeffrey Epstein case, writes Jason Nark for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Brown grew up in Chalfont and Sellersville, where her early life shaped the persistence that would define her career. She watched her mother raise three children alone through years of hardship.
At times, neighbors targeted their home on Diamond Street around Halloween, throwing dirt bombs because a single mother lived there.
Brown often spent time alone and turned to writing, winning an essay contest at Sellersville Elementary School.
She later earned A and B grades at Pennridge High School.
After graduating from Temple University, where she interned at NPR, Brown began her career at the Bethlehem Globe-Times and later the Bucks County Courier Times.
In 1996, she joined the Philadelphia Daily News and moved into investigative reporting. That shift set the direction for the rest of her career.
At the Miami Herald, her reporting on prison abuse and sex trafficking led her deeper into the story of Jeffrey Epstein.
She reviewed thousands of documents and interviewed victims, exposing how Epstein used wealth and influence to avoid accountability.
The Pulitzer Prize Board recognized Brown’s work with a rare special citation, acknowledging not just her reporting itself, but its lasting impact.
Pulitzer administrator Marjorie Miller said Brown’s work gives voice to the scores of victims who had been groomed and abused by Epstein.
“Her work, and the government’s release of the Epstein files, continue to reverberate around the world.”
Learn more about Julie Brown receiving a Pulitzer Prize special citation by reading the story in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
_____
