3 Hussman alumni contribute to Pulitzer-honored work

This story was originally published on unc.edu.

Three UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media alumni had their photojournalism work recognized by the Pulitzer Prizes. 

Brian Cassella ’05 and Alex Kormann ’19 were part of teams that won awards for their work, while Jason Armond ’19 was on a finalist team. 

The Pulitzers, considered the most prestigious honors in journalism, were announced May 4. 

Cassella works for the Chicago Tribune, which won in the local reporting category for its work on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in the city. Cassella was one of several bylines on the story “On Halloween, ‘state-sponsored terror’ in Chicago and the north suburbs.” 

Kormann is on staff at The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He contributed to the organization’s coverage of a shooting at a back-to-school Mass at a local Catholic school, which was recognized in the breaking news reporting category. 

Armond works at the Los Angeles Times. One of his photos was part of a package covering the deadly wildfires near Los Angeles that was honored in the breaking news photography category. 

In 2025, Charles Sumner “Chuck” Stone Jr. received a posthumous Pulitzer citation for his work covering the Civil Rights Movement. He was the Walter Spearman Professor of Journalism at Carolina until his retirement in 2004.  

Kathleen DuVal, a historian in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in history for her book, “Native Nations: A Millenium in North America.”