Business Insider wins first duPont-Columbia Award for Gaza coastline documentary

Columbia Journalism School has named Business Insider a 2026 duPont-Columbia Silver Baton winner, marking the first time Business Insider has been honored with the prestigious award for broadcast and digital journalism. The duPont-Columbia Awards, often referred to as the "Pulitzers of broadcast journalism," recognize outstanding audio and video reporting in the public interest.

The award recognizes Satellite Images Track Four Gaza Businesses Upended by War, a short, Emmy-nominated documentary produced by Business Insider's video team that maps the scale of damage along Gaza's coastline and examines whether the businesses have a realistic path to rebuild after the war.

"Telling a story about Gaza, a place already heavily covered in global media, required a fresh and unique approach. The team spent weeks brainstorming creative ideas to find a perspective that hadn't been seen before," said Business Insider producer Reem Makhoul. By combining archival footage from 2020 with new reporting and satellite imagery, they were able to craft a character-driven narrative that shows the human and economic impact of war in a way that feels immediate and tangible."

The documentary was recognized for its innovative production approach, combining satellite imagery, pre-war footage, and self-recorded video from Gaza to show how four businesses were destroyed or forced to shut down amid the conflict. The project centered the lived experiences of business owners, illustrating the economic and human toll of war beyond the battlefield.

The 2026 duPont-Columbia Awards ceremony was held Tuesday night at Columbia University in New York City, where the Business Insider team accepted the award.

The documentary was produced by Reem Makhoul, who worked closely with videographer Yasser Abu Wazna in Gaza. The motion designers were Liam Kraker and Dorian Barranco, and the video editors Clancy Morgan and Amelia Kosciulek. Executive producers were Robert Leslie, Barbara Corbellini Duarte, and Erica Berenstein.

The win adds to a growing list of honors for Business Insider's video journalism. In 2025, Business Insider published 223 long-form videos, with 6.9 billion minutes watched on YouTube. The Business Insider YouTube channel also surpassed 10 million subscribers, earning a Diamond Play Button, and the newsroom won two News & Documentary Emmy Awards, alongside dozens of other awards.