Communication Alum Wins Pulitzer for Washington Post AR-15 Series

Emily Guskin ’06 is a polling analyst at the Post.

By Jessica Weiss ’05

Extreme weather. Confederate statues. Abortion restrictions. Remote work. 

Emily Guskin ’06 has a front row seat to Americans' perspectives on some of the day’s most pressing politics and policy matters. As a polling analyst at the Washington Post, the communication and government and politics alum conducts surveys, analyzes data and generates reports that provide insights into Americans’ attitudes, preferences and behaviors. 

“It’s both an art and a science,” said Guskin about her role. “And that’s why I like it.” 

Earlier this month, Guskin and a team of some 75 journalists at the Post were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their immersive series on the AR-15 rifle in American politics and culture. As part of the series, Guskin’s piece “Why do Americans own AR-15s?” featured data from nearly 400 AR-15 owners about their reasons for having the weapon and how often they use it, shedding a unique light on the many human feelings, fears and motivations behind the infamous weapon. 

It’s a career achievement for Guskin, who has worked at the Post for more than eight years. 

“We’ve been working on this project for a long time and a lot of people collaborated to make it happen,” she said. “So it’s really awesome.” 

Guskin, who grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, knew from a young age she wanted to be a journalist. She remembers watching “60 Minutes” with her parents from age five and reading the Post every morning before school, even in elementary school. She covered sports on her high school’s TV news broadcast. 

At UMD, she pursued an academic path that would allow her to supplement more experiential skills in journalism. Interested in the theories behind how information is conveyed, interpreted and understood, she declared her major in communication freshman year. She added government and politics sophomore year. She was also part of the “Media, Self and Society” program and College Park Scholars, where she further honed skills for analyzing and producing media.

“Everything I learned in government and politics and communication is directly applicable to what we do in journalism every day,” she said. “I got a great, well-rounded education.” 

She also holds a master's in public policy from Rutgers University, where she focused on polling. Before joining the Post in 2016, Guskin was a research manager at APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy, and prior to that, she was a research analyst at the Pew Research Center's Journalism Project. 

At the Post, Guskin and another UMD alum, Scott Clement M.S. ’17, who studied survey methodology, make up the two-person News Polling team. They look for ways that polling can enhance the paper’s reporting and investigations on a wide range of topics. Guskin has reported on the impact people feel they have in fighting climate change, how trans adults feel about transitioning, whether Americans would mind living near solar panels and wind turbines, and “which slice of the Washington region has the most atrocious drivers.”  

For the AR-15 survey, the team partnered with the research firm Ipsos to ask 399 AR-15 owners to explain their reasons for having the weapon, what they use it for and how often they fire it. They also asked demographic questions to compare AR-15 owners to gun owners overall in the country to see how AR-15 owners differ demographically than other gun owners and Americans overall. 

The result is one of the most detailed nationally representative surveys to date focused on the opinions of AR-15 owners. Guskin also worked with video journalists and graphic designers to bring to life some of the stories of survey individuals. 

She said it’s gratifying to see how the poll added a distinctive element to the full package of award-winning stories, adding: “Luckily people like to share their opinions.” 

Guskin credits UMD with helping her explore her passions and interests and giving her space to be curious. Her top advice to current students: “Learn what interests you and what makes you tick; figure out what you like about the classes you're taking and the jobs you have,” she said. “You want something that gets you excited. That is what will help you figure out what you want to do later.” 

Photo courtesy of the Washington Post.