Three Stories from New York: Walt Bogdanich

Three-time Pulitzer winner, Serbian roots, investigative journalism from home.

Three Stories from New York: Walt Bogdanich is one instalment in director Željko Mirković's trilogy of short documentaries about New York citizens of Serbian origin. In it, Mirković turns his lens on Walt Bogdanich, an American investigative journalist born in Chicago who is a three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the most decorated reporters in the United States.

Bogdanich's career spans several of America's most prominent newsrooms. In 1988, while working as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting for his investigation into faulty testing in American medical laboratories. He later joined The New York Times, and in 2005 received the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series of reports exposing corporate cover-ups of fatal accidents at railway crossings. In 2008, together with New York Times colleague Jake Hooker, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for uncovering toxic substances in products imported from China. He also received the George Polk Award for National Reporting in 2004.

Filmed in the intimate setting of Bogdanich's home, the short documentary reveals a more personal dimension of the journalist's life. Speaking directly to the camera, he reflects on how he overcame his shyness to build a distinguished career, and on the values of hard work and honesty that define both his professional practice and his family life.

With a pedagogical approach and a clear focus on the informative function of storytelling, the film serves as both a portrait of an individual and an introduction to the major journalistic investigations that shaped public debate in the United States. It highlights Bogdanich's pride in his Serbian heritage and his place within a community of Serbian Americans who have achieved significant recognition in their respective fields.