O'Brien edited a multi-part series on wounded war veterans that won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2012. He is also a recipient of a Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Journalism. He helped oversee a team of New York Times reporters that was a 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service finalist for its coverage of the 2008 financial crisis.
O'Brien, who edited a multi-part series on wounded war veterans that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012, has also received a Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Journalism. He played a key role in overseeing a team of New York Times reporters who were finalists for a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service in 2009 for their coverage of the 2008 financial crisis.