Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab Wilhelm is a Mexican investigative journalist. She won the

Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting The Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded since 1953, under one name or another, for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in a U.S. news publica ...

in 2013 along with

David Barstow David Barstow (born 1963) is an American journalist and professor. While a reporter at ''The New York Times'' from 1999 to 2019, Barstow was awarded, individually or jointly, four Pulitzer Prizes, becoming the first reporter in the history of the ...

Early life and education

Von Bertrab moved to

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

from Mexico City at the age of 14. She studied communications at the

Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education ''ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara'' — distinct from the University of Guadalajara — also known as ''Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, ITESO,'' is a Jesuit university in the Western Mexican state of Jal ...

(ITESO University) located in Guadalajara. Before becoming a journalist, von Bertrab was involved in

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

. She obtained an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

as an International Journalist at the

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism comprises a School of Communication and a School of Journalism at the University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = N ...

of the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

in 1996.

Career

At the age of 18, she became a radio host at her university. Two to three years later, in 1991, she became an investigative reporter at the newly founded local newspaper '' Siglo 21'', one of the first Mexican newspapers to have a unit of investigative reporters. In 1992, she won Mexico's National Journalism Award ( es, Premio Nacional de Periodismo) for her coverage of gasoline explosions that destroyed over 8 miles of streets in Guadalajara and killed over 200, leaving 15,000 homeless. ''Siglo 21'' was the only newspaper who covered the buildup to the explosion, with von Bertrab predicting the explosion in advance. Her other stories covered the marginalization of deaf people and villagers, as well as the assassination of

Luis Donaldo Colosio Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta (; 10 February 1950 – 23 March 1994) was a Mexican politician, economist, and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate, who was assassinated at a campaign rally in Tijuana during the Mexic ...

and the role of passenger trains in Mexico in drug trafficking. She kept working at ''Siglo 21'' as it became the newspaper ''Publico''. She then moved to Mexico City. There, she worked as a freelance journalist and was the editor of the ''

Expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

'' magazine of CNN and investigated health issues as well as other social topics for the Mexican edition of '' Cambio''. She made extensive use of the act on

freedom of information Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, indigen ...

in Mexico and investigated the lobbying strategies of the tobacco industry in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, she collaborated with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' journalist David Barstow on "reports on how

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

used widespread bribery to dominate the market in Mexico, resulting in changes in company practices". The company was forced to release a report detailing how they intended to prevent corrupt practices in the future. Her work with Barstow earned them the 2012 George Polk Award for Business Journalism, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, and the 2013 Gerald Loeb Award for Investigative business journalism. She is the first Mexican woman to be awarded a Pulitzer in that field. Von Bertrab also won the 2013

ICFJ International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is a non-profit, professional organization located in Washington, D.C., United States, that promotes journalism worldwide. Since 1984, the International Center for Journalists has worked directly with m ...

Knight International Journalism Award. She has also been actively involved in the training of other Mexican journalists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:von Bertrab, Alejandra Xanic Living people Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting winners Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education alumni USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism alumni Mexican journalists Mexican women journalists Year of birth missing (living people) Gerald Loeb Award winners for Investigative George Polk Award recipients