Inewsource

Fentanyl: A Decade of Death

Steve Breen, Iran “JR” Martinez, Giovanni Moujaes, Jamie Self

Light blue pills scatter against a black background and gather into the shape of a skull in the main image of inewsources’ story about Fentanyl deaths in San Diego, California, and the rest of the nation, over the past decade. Keep scrolling to reveal more black and blue — illustrations and reporting that look more like a graphic novel than a typical news story. 

“I don’t remember seeing a piece of journalism told in this way before,” one judge said.

Together, the illustrations and reporting from editorial cartoonist Steve Breen as well as Iran “JR” Martinez, Giovanni Moujaes and Jamie Self explain the fentanyl crisis and consequences of using the drug while also highlighting some of the lives lost. About 75,000 people nationwide died from fentanyl in 2023. 

“The project fulfills the objective of the Insight Award,” one judge wrote. “It tells a story in a new way and by doing so, brings out new emotion and attention to this issue.”

The story was a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist in journalism for illustrated storytelling and commentary.

Read the Winning Work

Fentanyl: A Decade of Death