Pulitzer Center Update

This Week: South Korea's Response to Its Northern Neighbor May Be Nuclear

April 17, 2018 | Newsletter
Hwang Il-soon, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University who supports his country having a pyro-processing capability, speaks with Pulitzer Center grantee Rachel Oswald. Image by Jayine Chung. South Korea, 2018.

Hwang Il-soon, a nuclear engineering professor at Seoul National University who supports his country having a pyro-processing capability, speaks with Pulitzer Center grantee Rachel Oswald. Image by Jayine Chung. South Korea, 2018.

What Happens If South Korea Goes Nuclear? 

Rachel Oswald 

South Korean conservatives are campaigning for the return to the peninsula of U.S. short-range nuclear weapons that were withdrawn in the early 1990s. The only other alternative to protect the country from the North’s emerging nuclear arsenal, some in the hard-right camp argue, is for South Korea to develop its own nuclear bomb. But as Rachel Oswald reports for CQ Weekly, that would have severe consequences for both the United States and for the global nonproliferation order, which is already teetering.

Subtle signals of a doctor’s office–the stethoscope, the white coat, the poster of the human body–and play a key role in triggering expectations. Image by Matt Ehrichs. United States, 2018.

Subtle signals of a doctor’s office–the stethoscope, the white coat, the poster of the human body–and play a key role in triggering expectations. Image by Matt Ehrichs. United States, 2018.

The Placebo Effect

Erik Vance and Nsikan Akpan 

Erik Vance and Nsikan Akpan travel to a remote part of Mexico for the PBS NewsHour to better understand the intersection of faith and healing. Erik finds a curandero, or traditional healer, who aims to relieve his bothersome knee by sucking out whatever ails him.

Executive Director Jon Sawyer discusses "Facing Risk," a film that explores the risks associated with reporting and the conversations journalists owe their loved ones. Image by Jin Ding.

Executive Director Jon Sawyer discusses "Facing Risk," a film that explores the risks associated with reporting and the conversations journalists owe their loved ones. Image by Jin Ding. Washington, D.C., 2016.

Fighting Against Climate Change—and for Improved Health

Kim Pate

In a commentary for Cognoscenti, The Pulitzer Center’s Jon Sawyer and Boston University Professor Patrick Kinney argue that people remain largely unmoved by dire warnings of climate change—but that scientists and journalists can change that by emphasizing the immediate health benefits of action. The Boston University School of Public Health and the Pulitzer Center are hosting a symposium on these themes at B.U. on April 20.