https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize#Categories
Only 1 out of 21 categories are reserved for investigative journalism, and there are categories reserved for commentary, criticism, and editorial, all of which are potentially suitable for Fowler's article.
None of those are really suitable nor would her blog piece be competitive in a category that would only be potentially suitable. And in my opinion it certainly doesn't deserve a pulitzer in investigative journalism.
I think it would be cool to a new category for something like this that better captures the intent of the piece.
There is a difference between writing about events in which you are a principal actor and ones where you are not, though needless to say that line is often very blurry.