Guardian, Washington Post win Pulitzer award for U.S. spying coverage

The Guardian US and the Washington Post have been awarded the most prestigious Pulitzer prize for extensive coverage of secret surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency.

The two newspapers have been extensively reporting on the leaks by Edward Snowden that revealed the extent of surveillance on ordinary citizens, which lead to worldwide furor.

According to PC World, the first revelations based on documents obtained by Snowden were made last year in June and since then a number of follow up stories have been published.

The Post was awarded the prize for 'its revelation of widespread secret surveillance by the National Security Agency.

The Post gave authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security,' the report said.

The Guardian was given the award for 'helping through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy,' the report added.