08-05-2025
Former Bournemouth student wins international award for investigative journalism
A FORMER Bournemouth University student has won a prestigious award for his journalistic work.
Drazen Jorgic was among a group at Reuters awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for its coverage of the fentanyl crisis.
He said: 'It's the honour of my life. It's a lifetime honour to be award a Pulitzer.
'It's something that I didn't even dream about when I studies journalism. It just seemed so far award. Even though my anticipation at Bournemouth University was investigative journalism, so it's always been a passion of mine.
'So, to win a Pulitzer, it's just bonkers.'
(Image: Drazen Jorgic) The Pulitzer Prize is an annual award presented for outstanding work in journalism, literature, and music and is considered one of the highest honours in these fields.
The investigative series revealed how Chinese fentanyl chemicals are transported to Mexico where they are processed into the drug and trafficked to the United States. As part of his reporting, Drazen met with drug traffickers and cartel members to tell the story of how fentanyl is produced.
Of the award-winning series, Drazen said: 'It was probably the highlight of my career.
'It was the most challenging and most rewarding journalistic endeavour that I've been involved with."
Drazen added without the work of a specialist team of reporters, photographers, visual journalists and working across borders the story would have been 'impossible'.
Drazen studied journalism at Bournemouth University from 2005 to 2008 before being accepted on the Reuters graduation scheme, before establishing himself as an investigative journalist in Mexico and Central America.
He said he still has fond memories of Bournemouth: 'Bournemouth has a great journalism course. I leaned a lot. The beaches were absolutely fantastic.'
His former university lecturer, Tom Hill, said: 'Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting is the stuff of dreams for any journalist and Drazen Jorgic is a truly worthy recipient.
'It was awarded to Drazen for his dedicated and courageous work in exposing the international trade in the deadly drug fentanyl.
'I first met him 20 years ago when he was 18 and applying for a place to study journalism at Bournemouth University.
Looking back, he already possessed many of the hallmarks of a great journalist."
After completing his degree, Drazen went on to work for Citywire before being accepted onto the Reuters graduate training scheme.
'I have nothing but fond memories of both the university and the journalism course," Drazen added.
