National Geographic and ProPublica

FINALIST—REPORTING

This is an extraordinary account of nightmarish violence. In March 2011, dozens, perhaps hundreds of men, women, and children were murdered in and around the town of Allende, Mexico, not far from Texas. They were killed during the course of the month by members of the drug cartel known as the Zetas after information about their leaders was given to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, which in turn shared it with a Mexican police unit known to be unreliable. Copublished by ProPublica and National Geographic, “How the U.S. Triggered a Massacre in Mexico” was described by the Ellie judges as “deeply sourced and beautifully written.” Weaving together the voices of witnesses with her own reporting, Ginger Thompson’s account stands on its own in print but was enriched online by evocative audio and striking photography.