Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting
Encyclopedia
The Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting is awarded to an example of "local reporting that illuminates significant issues or concerns." This Pulitzer Prize
was first awarded in 1948. Like most Pulitzers the winner receives a $10,000 award.
In 1964 the Local Reporting Pulitzers were again renamed to "Local Investigative Specialized Reporting" and "Local General or Spot News Reporting." These prizes existed until 1984, when they were done away with.
In 1985, several new Pulitzer Prizes were introduced, the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism (later renamed "Explanatory Reporting"), the Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting (later renamed "Breaking News Reporting"), the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
, and the Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting. None of these prizes were reserved specifically for local reporting.
In 2006, the prize committee announced that the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting
was going to be replaced by a recreated Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald
became the first reporter to win the re-created Pulitzer for Local Reporting.
The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
was first awarded in 1948. Like most Pulitzers the winner receives a $10,000 award.
History
The Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting was first awarded from 1948 until 1952. Beginning in 1953, two awards for Local Reporting were given out by the committee, for "Local Reporting, Edition Time" and for "Local Reporting, No Edition Time."In 1964 the Local Reporting Pulitzers were again renamed to "Local Investigative Specialized Reporting" and "Local General or Spot News Reporting." These prizes existed until 1984, when they were done away with.
In 1985, several new Pulitzer Prizes were introduced, the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism (later renamed "Explanatory Reporting"), the Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting (later renamed "Breaking News Reporting"), the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
The Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded since 1953, under one name or another, for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in print journalism...
, and the Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting. None of these prizes were reserved specifically for local reporting.
In 2006, the prize committee announced that the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting
Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting
The Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting was presented from 1991 to 2006 for a distinguished example of beat reporting characterized by sustained and knowledgeable coverage of a particular subject or activity....
was going to be replaced by a recreated Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
became the first reporter to win the re-created Pulitzer for Local Reporting.
The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.
Winners
- 1948: George E. Goodwin, Atlanta Journal, "For his story of the Telfair County vote fraud," published in 1947.
- 1949: Malcolm Johnson, New York Sun, "For his series of 24 articles entitled "Crime on the Waterfront" in New York City." (The film On the WaterfrontOn the WaterfrontOn the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden. The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard...
was based on this series of articles.) - 1950: Meyer BergerMeyer BergerMeyer "Mike" Berger was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and columnist for The New York Times. Berger was known for his long running column "About New York" and for his history of the first 100 years of the New York Times...
, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "For his 4,000 word story on the mass killings by Howard UnruhHoward UnruhHoward Barton Unruh was an American mass murderer who killed 13 people on September 6, 1949, in Camden, New Jersey, when he was 28 years old. Unruh is considered the first single-episode mass murderer in U.S. history. He died in 2009 after a lengthy illness at the age of 88...
in Camden, N.J." - 1951: Edward S. Montgomery, San Francisco Examiner, "For his series of articles on tax frauds which culminated in an expose within the Bureau of Internal Revenue."
- 1952: George De Carvalho, San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, "For his stories of a "ransom racket" extorting money from Chinese in the United States for relations held in Red China." - 1958: George D. BeveridgeGeorge D. BeveridgeGeorge D. Beveridge was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist praised for his coverage of the Washington, DC politics, government, and regional development, and described by the Washington Post as an expert on this city and a keen observer and critic of journalistic ethics and...
, The Evening StarWashington StarThe Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1981. For most of that time, it was the city's newspaper of record, and the longtime home to columnist Mary McGrory and...
, "For his excellent and thought-provoking series, "Metro, City of Tomorrow," describing in depth the urban problems of Washington, D.C., which stimulated widespread public consideration of these problems and encouraged further studies by both public and private agencies." - 1960: Jack NelsonJack Nelson (journalist)John Howard "Jack" Nelson was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist praised for his coverage of the Watergate scandal and described by New York Times Managing Editor Gene Roberts as "one of the most effective reporters in the civil rights era."-Youth:Born in Talladega, Alabama, Nelson's...
, The Atlanta ConstitutionThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
, "For his reporting of abuses at the Milledgeville Central State Mental Hospital." - 2007: Debbie CenziperDebbie CenziperDebbie Cenziper is an American investigative journalist for The Washington Post.She worked as an investigative reporter for the Miami Herald, for The Charlotte Observer, and for the Florida Sun Sentinel...
, Miami Herald, "For reports on waste, favoritism and lack of oversight at the Miami housing agency that resulted in dismissals, investigations and prosecutions." - 2008: David UmhoeferDave UmhoeferDave Umhoefer is a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In 2008, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for a six-month investigation of Milwaukee County's pension system...
, Milwaukee Journal SentinelMilwaukee Journal SentinelThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
, "For his stories on the skirting of tax laws to pad pensions of county employees, prompting change and possible prosecution of key figures." - 2009: (two winners) Detroit Free PressDetroit Free PressThe Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
Staff, and notably Jim SchaeferJim SchaeferJim Schaefer is a journalist based in Detroit, Michigan, for The Detroit Free Press.He graduated from Ohio State University.He was an investigative producer for WXYZ-TV.He led an investigation into fentanyl....
and M.L. ElrickM.L. ElrickMichael L. Elrick is a journalist based in Detroit, Michigan, for The Detroit Free Press, and WDIV-TV.Elrick graduated from Michigan State University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism....
, "for their uncovering of a pattern of lies by Mayor Kwame KilpatrickKwame KilpatrickKwame Malik Kilpatrick is a former mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Kilpatrick's mayorship was plagued by numerous scandals and rampant accusations of corruption, with the mayor eventually resigning after being charged with ten felony counts, including perjury and obstruction of justice...
that included denial of a sexual relationship with his female chief of staff, prompting an investigation of perjury that eventually led to jail terms for the two officials." Original series - 2009: (two winners) Ryan GabrielsonRyan GabrielsonRyan Gabrielson is an investigative journalist.He graduated from the University of Arizona.He reported for the East Valley Tribune.He is a journalism fellow at University of California, Berkeley. He is currently working for California Watch as a public safety reporter.-External links:*, Berkeley...
and Paul GiblinPaul GiblinPaul Giblin is an investigative journalist.He graduated from University of Arizona in 1988.He worked for the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Arizona.He writes for the Arizona Guardian,He is a civilian spokesman for the U.S...
of the East Valley TribuneEast Valley TribuneThe East Valley Tribune is a publication concentrating on cities within the East Valley region of metropolitan Phoenix, including Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek....
, "for their adroit use of limited resources to reveal, in print and online, how a popular sheriff'sJoe ArpaioJoseph M. "Joe" Arpaio is the elected Sheriff of Maricopa County in the U.S. state of Arizona. First voted into office in 1992, Arpaio is responsible for law enforcement in Maricopa County. This includes management of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, county jail, courtroom security,...
focus on immigration enforcement endangered investigation of violent crime and other aspects of public safety." Original series