Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
Encyclopedia
The Pulitzer Prize
for National Reporting has been awarded since 1948 for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs. 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...
for National Reporting has been awarded since 1948 for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.
List of winners and their official citations
- 1948: Nat S. Finney, Minneapolis Tribune, "for his stories on the plan of the TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
administration to impose secrecy about the ordinary affairs of federal civilian agencies in peacetime." - 1949: C. P. Trussel, 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 consistent excellence covering the national scene from WashingtonWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
." - 1950: Edwin O. Guthman, The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, "for his series on the clearing of Communist chargesMcCarthyismMcCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
of Professor Melvin Rader, who had been accused of attending a secret Communist school." - 1951: no award made
- 1952: Anthony Leviero, 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 exclusive article of April 21, 1951, disclosing the record of conversations between President Truman and General of the ArmyGeneral of the Army (United States)General of the Army is a five-star general officer and is the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been conferred twice in the history of the Army...
Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
at Wake IslandWake IslandWake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
in their conference of October 1950." - 1953: Don WhiteheadDon WhiteheadDon Whitehead was an American journalist. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom. He won the 1950 George Polk Award for wire service reporting....
, Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, "for his article called 'The Great Deception,' dealing with the intricate arrangements by which the safety of President-elect Eisenhower was guarded en route from Morningside HeightsMorningside Heights, ManhattanMorningside Heights is a neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City and is chiefly known as the home of institutions such as Columbia University, Teachers College, Barnard College, the Manhattan School of Music, Bank Street College of Education, the Cathedral of Saint John the...
in New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
." - 1954: Richard WilsonRichard L. Wilson (journalist)Richard Lawson Wilson was an American journalistWilson was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and raised in Newton, Iowa. He was the son of Frank and Emily Wilson, and was the youngest of nine children....
, the Des Moines Register, "for his exclusive publication of the FBI Report to the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in the Harry Dexter WhiteHarry Dexter WhiteHarry Dexter White was an American economist, and senior U.S. Treasury department official, participating in the Bretton Woods conference...
case before it was laid before the Senate by J. Edgar HooverJ. Edgar HooverJohn Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
." - 1955: Anthony LewisAnthony LewisAnthony Lewis is a prominent liberal intellectual, writing for The New York Times op-ed page and The New York Review of Books, among other publications. He was previously a columnist for the Times . Before that he was London bureau chief , Washington, D.C...
of Washington Daily NewsWashington Daily NewsThe Washington Daily News is a daily newspaper serving Washington, North Carolina. It is the smallest daily newspaper to ever win a Pulitzer Prize gold medal....
, "for publishing a series of articles which were adjudged directly responsible for clearing Abraham ChasanowAbraham ChasanowAbraham Chasanow was suspended from the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office as a security risk in July 1953, during the period of McCarthyism in the United States, in part for activities related to the founding of the cooperative Greenbelt Veteran Housing Corporation at his home in Greenbelt, Maryland...
, an employee of the U.S. Navy DepartmentUnited States Department of the NavyThe Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
, and bringing about his restoration to duty with an acknowledgment by the Navy Department that it had committed a grave injustice in dismissing him as a security risk. Mr. Lewis received the full support of his newspaper in championing an American citizenUnited States nationality lawArticle I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
, without adequate funds or resources for his defense, against an unjust act by a government department." - 1956: Charles L. BartlettCharles L. Bartlett (journalist)Charles L. Bartlett was awarded the 1956 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for his original disclosures that lead to the resignation of Harold E. Talbott as Secretary of the Air Force. He started the Washington D.C...
, Chattanooga Times, for his original disclosures that led to the resignation of Harold E. TalbottHarold E. TalbottHarold Elstner Talbott, Jr. was the third United States Secretary of the Air Force.-Biography:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, in March 1888 and died in 1957...
as Secretary of the Air ForceUnited States Secretary of the Air ForceThe Secretary of the Air Force is the Head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate...
. - 1957: James RestonJames RestonJames Barrett Reston , nicknamed "Scotty," was an American journalist whose career spanned the mid 1930s to the early 1990s. He was associated for many years with the New York Times.-Life:...
, 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 distinguished national correspondence, including both news dispatches and interpretive reporting, an outstanding example of which was his five-part analysis of the effect of President Eisenhower's illness on the functioning of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government." - 1958: Clark Mollenhoff, Des Moines Register and Tribune, "for his persistent inquiry into labor racketeering, which included investigatory reporting of wide significance."
- 1958: Relman Morin, Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, "for his dramatic and incisive eyewitness report of mob violence on September 23, 1957, during the integration crisis at the Central High School in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
." - 1959: Howard Van Smith, Miami News, "for a series of articles that focused public notice on deplorable conditions in a FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
migrant labor camp, resulted in the provision of generous assistance for the 4,000 stranded workers in the camp, and thereby called attention to the national problem presented by 1,500,000 migratory laborers." - 1960: Vance Trimble, Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance, "for a series of articles exposing the extent of nepotism in the Congress of the United StatesUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
." - 1961: Edward R. Cony, Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for his analysis of a timber transaction which drew the attention of the public to the problems of business ethics." - 1962: Nathan G. Caldwell and Gene S. Graham, Nashville Tennessean, "for their exclusive disclosure and six years of detailed reporting, under great difficulties, of the undercover cooperation between management interests in the coal industry and the United Mine WorkersUnited Mine WorkersThe United Mine Workers of America is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners and coal technicians. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the United States and Canada...
." - 1963: Anthony LewisAnthony LewisAnthony Lewis is a prominent liberal intellectual, writing for The New York Times op-ed page and The New York Review of Books, among other publications. He was previously a columnist for the Times . Before that he was London bureau chief , Washington, D.C...
, 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 distinguished reporting of the proceedings of the United States Supreme Court during the year, with particular emphasis on the coverage of the decision in the reapportionment case and its consequences in many of the States of the Union." - 1964: Merriman Smith, United Press InternationalUnited Press InternationalUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, "for his outstanding coverage of the assassination of President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy assassinationJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
." - 1965: Louis M. Kohlmeier, Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for his enterprise in reporting the growth of the fortune of President Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
and his family." - 1966: Haynes JohnsonHaynes JohnsonHaynes Bonner Johnson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, best-selling author, and TV analyst. He has reported on most of the major news stories of the last half-century and is widely regarded as one of the nation's top political commentators.He began his newspaper career in 1956 as a reporter...
, Washington Evening Star, "for his distinguished coverage of the civil rights conflictSelma to Montgomery marchesThe Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American civil rights movement. They grew out of the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, launched by local African-Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League...
centered about Selma, Ala.Selma, AlabamaSelma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
, and particularly his reporting of its aftermath." - 1967: Stanley Penn and Monroe Karmin, The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for their investigative reporting of the connection between American crime and gambling in the Bahamas." - 1968: Nathan K. (Nick) KotzNick KotzNathan "Nick" K. Kotz , born in San Antonio, Texas, is an American journalist, author, and historian. He is best known for his 2005 book Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Laws that Changed America chronicling the roles of President Johnson and Dr. King in the...
, Des Moines Register and Tribune, "for his reporting of unsanitary conditions in many meat packing plants, which helped insure the passage of the Federal Wholesome Meat Act of 1967." - 1968: Howard James, Christian Science Monitor, "for his series of articles, 'Crisis in the Courts.'"
- 1969: Robert Cahn, Christian Science Monitor, "for his inquiry into the future of our national parks and the methods that may help to preserve them."
- 1970: William J. EatonWilliam J. EatonWilliam J. Eaton was an American journalist.He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for his Chicago Daily News coverage of the confirmation battle over Clement Haynsworth, an unsuccessful Richard Nixon nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States...
, Chicago Daily NewsChicago Daily NewsThe Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
, "for disclosures about the background of Judge Clement F. Haynesworth Jr., in connection with his nomination for the United States Supreme Court." - 1971: Lucinda FranksLucinda FranksLucinda Franks is a former staff writer for The New York Times, and she has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic...
and Thomas PowersThomas PowersThomas Powers is an author, and an intelligence expert.He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1971 together with Lucinda Franks for his articles on Weatherman member Diana Oughton...
, United Press InternationalUnited Press InternationalUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, "for their documentary on the life and death of 28-year-old revolutionary Diana OughtonDiana OughtonDiana Oughton was a member of the Students for a Democratic Society Michigan Chapter and later, a member of the 1960s radical group Weatherman. Oughton received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College. After graduation, Oughton went to Guatemala with the VISA program to teach the young and older...
: 'The Making of a Terrorist.'" - 1972: Jack Anderson, syndicated columnist, "for his reporting of American policy decision-making during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
." - 1973: Robert Boyd and Clark HoytClark Hoyt- Personal life and Professional career :Clark Hoyt is an American journalist who was the public editor of the New York Times, serving as the "readers' representative." He was the newspaper's third public editor, or ombudsman, after Daniel Okrent and Byron Calame...
, Knight Newspapers, "for their disclosure of Senator Thomas EagletonThomas EagletonThomas Francis Eagleton was a United States Senator from Missouri, serving from 1968–1987. He is best remembered for briefly being the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972...
's history of psychiatric therapy, resulting in his withdrawal as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 1972." - 1974: Jack WhiteJack White (reporter)Jack White was a veteran Rhode Island journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of President Richard Nixon's underpayment of income taxes...
, Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin, "for his initiative in exclusively disclosing President NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's Federal income tax payments in 1970 and 1971." - 1974: James R. Polk, Washington Star-News," for his disclosure of alleged irregularities in the financing of the campaign to re-elect President Nixon in 1972."
- 1975: Donald L. BarlettDonald L. BarlettDonald L. Barlett is an American investigative journalist and author who collaborated with James B. Steele. According to The Washington Journalism Review they were a better investigative reporting team than even Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Together they have won two Pulitzer Prizes, two...
and James B. Steele, The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, "for their series 'Auditing the Internal Revenue Service,' which exposed the unequal application of Federal tax laws." - 1976: James Risser, Des Moines RegisterDes Moines RegisterThe Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa.-History:...
, "for disclosing large-scale corruption in the American grain exporting trade." - 1977: Walter MearsWalter MearsWalter Mears is a Pulitzer prize-winning American journalist with the Associated Press. Mears was also one of the Boys on the Bus that covered the 1972 presidential election between Richard Nixon and George McGovern. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977 for his coverage of the 1976 presidential...
, Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, "for his coverage of the 1976 Presidential campaignUnited States presidential election, 1976The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic...
." - 1978: Gaylord D. Shaw, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, "for a series on unsafe structural conditions at the nation's major dams." - 1979: James Risser, Des Moines RegisterDes Moines RegisterThe Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa.-History:...
, "for a series on farming damage to the environment." - 1980: Bette Swenson Orsini and Charles StaffordCharles StaffordCharles Stafford is Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics; he is also one of the co-founders of the LSE’s . Stafford specialises in the social anthropology of China and Taiwan...
, St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
, "for their investigation of the Church of ScientologyChurch of ScientologyThe Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
." - 1981: John M. CrewdsonJohn M. CrewdsonJohn M. Crewdson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. He was a senior correspondent for the Chicago Tribune for 24 years.- Early life :...
, 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 coverage of illegal aliens and immigration." - 1982: Rick AtkinsonRick AtkinsonRick Atkinson is an American journalist and author whose contributions led to four Pulitzer Prizes.-Life:Atkinson was born in Munich. His father was an United States Army officer and he grew up at military posts. He earned his bachelor degree from East Carolina University in 1974 and a master of...
, The Kansas City Times, "for the uniform excellence of his reporting and writing on stories of national import." - 1983: Boston Globe, "for its balanced and informative special report on the nuclear arms race."
- 1984: John Noble WilfordJohn Noble WilfordJohn Noble Wilford is an author and award-winning journalist for The New York Times.Wilford's professional career began in 1956 at the Wall Street Journal, where he was a general assignment reporter and a medical reporter...
, 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 reporting on a wide variety of scientific topics of national import." - 1985: Thomas J. Knudson, Des Moines RegisterDes Moines RegisterThe Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa.-History:...
, "for his series of articles that examined the dangers of farming as an occupation." - 1986: Craig FlournoyCraig FlournoyCraig Flournoy won the Pulitzer Prize with fellow reporter George Rodrigue in 1986 for investigative reporting about racial segregation in East Texas. Flournoy currently teaches at Southern Methodist University.-External links:*...
and George Rodrigue of The Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
, "or their investigation into subsidized housing in East TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, which uncovered patterns of racial discrimination and segregation in public housing across the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and led to significant reforms." - 1986: Arthur Howe, The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, "for his enterprising and indefatigable reporting on massive deficiencies in Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue ServiceThe Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
(IRS) processing of tax returns-reporting that eventually inspired major changes in IRS procedures and prompted the agency to make a public apology to U.S. taxpayers." - 1987: Staff of The Miami HeraldThe Miami HeraldThe 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...
, "for its exclusive reporting and persistent coverage of the U.S.-Iran-ContraIran-Contra AffairThe Iran–Contra affair , also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or Iran-Contra-Gate, was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior Reagan administration officials and President Reagan secretly facilitated the sale of...
connection." - 1987: Staff of 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 coverage of the aftermath of the Challenger explosionSpace Shuttle Challenger disasterThe Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
, which included stories that identified serious flaws in the shuttle's design and in the administration of America's space programNASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
." - 1988: Tim WeinerTim WeinerTim Weiner is a New York Times reporter, author of two books and co-author of a third, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award...
, The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, "for his series of reports on a secret Pentagon budgetBlack budgetA black budget is a budget that is secretly collected from the overall income of a country, a corporation, a society of any form, a national department, and so on. A black budget usually covers expenses related to military research. The budget is kept secret for national security reasons.Philip...
used by the government to sponsor defense research and an arms buildup." - 1989: Donald L. BarlettDonald L. BarlettDonald L. Barlett is an American investigative journalist and author who collaborated with James B. Steele. According to The Washington Journalism Review they were a better investigative reporting team than even Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Together they have won two Pulitzer Prizes, two...
and James B. Steele, The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, "for their 15-month investigation of "rifle shot" provisions in the Tax Reform Act of 1986, a series that aroused such widespread public indignation that CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
subsequently rejected proposals giving special tax breaks to many politically connected individuals and businesses." - 1990: Ross Anderson, Bill DietrichBill DietrichWilliam John "Bullfrog" Dietrich is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1933-1948. He would play for the Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.In 16 seasons, Dietrich posted a 108-128 career record...
, Mary Ann Gwinn and Eric NalderEric NalderEric Nalder is an American investigative journalist.He graduated from the University of Washington, with a BA in 1968.He writes for the website SeattlePI.com, and is senior enterprise reporter for Hearst Newspapers.-Awards:...
, The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, "for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spillExxon Valdez oil spillThe Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...
and its aftermath." - 1991: Marjie LundstromMarjie LundstromMarjie Lundstrom , a reporter for The Sacramento Bee, was a 1991 recipient of a journalism Pulitzer Prize. Lundstrom and Rochelle Sharp—at the time, both reporters for Gannett News Service—were jointly awarded the prize for National Reporting for a series of stories they wrote about child...
and Rochelle Sharpe, Gannett News Service, "for reporting that disclosed hundreds of child abuseChild abuseChild abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
-related deaths go undetected each year as a result of errors by medical examiners." - 1992: Jeff TaylorJeff TaylorJeff Taylor is a founder of the online jobs site Monster.com. He is a graduate of the program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In August 2005, he left Monster to found a new venture called Eons.com, a social networking website for people over age 50. In 2008, Taylor started...
and Mike McGraw, The Kansas City StarThe Kansas City StarThe Kansas City Star is a McClatchy newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes...
, "for their critical examination of the U.S. Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
." - 1993: David MaranissDavid MaranissDavid Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author. As a reporter for The Washington Post he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his stories about the life and career of candidate Bill Clinton in the 1992 campaign for the U.S...
, The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, "for his revealing articles on the life and political record of candidate Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
." - 1994: Eileen WelsomeEileen WelsomeEileen Welsome is an American journalist. She received a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1994 while a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune. She was awarded the prize for her articles about the government's human radiation experiments conducted on unwilling and unknowing Americans during...
, Albuquerque TribuneAlbuquerque TribuneThe Albuquerque Tribune was an afternoon newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 1922 by Carlton Cole Magee as Magee's Independent. It was published in the afternoon and evening Monday through Saturday....
, "for stories that related the experiences of American civilians who had been used unknowingly in government plutonium experiments nearly 50 years ago." - 1995: Tony HorwitzTony HorwitzTony Horwitz is an American journalist and writer. His works include Blue Latitudes or Into the Blue, One for the Road, Confederates In The Attic, Baghdad Without A Map, and A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. His next book Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked...
, The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for stories about working conditions in low-wage America." - 1996: Alix M. FreedmanAlix M. FreedmanAlix M. Freedman is an American journalist, and ethics editor at Thomson Reuters.She won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.She won the 1999 George Polk Award.-Life:She wrote for the Harvard Crimson...
of The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for her coverage of the tobacco industry, including a report that exposed how ammoniaAmmoniaAmmonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
additives heighten nicotine potency." - 1997: Staff of The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for its coverage of the struggle against AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in all of its aspects, the human, the scientific and the business, in light of promising treatments for the disease." - 1998: Russell CarolloRussell CarolloRussell Carollo is an American journalist, and special projects reporter with The Sacramento Bee. With Jeff Nesmith, he won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting,and the 1996 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.-Life:...
and Jeff NesmithJeff NesmithJeff Nesmith is an American journalist. Together with Russell Carrollo, he won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1998.-Life:He is a graduate of the University of Florida....
, Dayton Daily NewsDayton Daily NewsThe Dayton Daily News is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. It is owned by Cox Enterprises. In the 2010 Associated Press Society of Ohio newspaper competition that takes place every year, DaytonDailyNews.com was named "the best large-newspaper web site in Ohio".-History:On August 15,...
, "for their reporting that disclosed dangerous flaws and mismanagement in the military health care system and prompted reforms." - 1999: Staff of 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...
, and notably Jeff GerthJeff GerthJeff Gerth is a former investigative reporter for The New York Times who has written lengthy, probing stories that drew both praise and criticism. He shared a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for his coverage of how American firms gave the Chinese access to sensitive technology related to satellite launches...
, "for a series of articles that disclosed the corporate sale of American technology to ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, with U.S. government approval despite national security risks, prompting investigations and significant changes in policy." - 2000: Staff of The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, "for its revealing stories that question U.S. defense spending and military deployment in the post–Cold War era and offer alternatives for the future." - 2001: 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...
staff, "for its compelling and memorable series exploring racial experiences and attitudes across contemporary America." - 2002: The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
staff, "for its comprehensive coverage of America's War on TerrorismWar on TerrorismThe War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, which regularly brought forth new information together with skilled analysis of unfolding developments." - 2003: Alan MillerAlan Miller (journalist)Alan C. Miller is an American journalist, and president and CEO of the News Literacy Project.-Life:He graduated from Wesleyan University.He worked for The Record of Hackensack, New Jersey, and at The Times Union of Albany, New York....
and Kevin Sack, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, "for their revelatory and moving examination of a military aircraft, nicknamed 'The Widow Maker,' that was linked to the deaths of 45 pilots." (This was also nominated in the Investigative ReportingPulitzer Prize for Investigative ReportingThe 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...
category.) - 2004: Staff of Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Nancy Cleeland, Evelyn Iritani, Abigail Goldman, Tyler Marshall, Rick Wartzman and John CorriganJohn CorriganJohn Corrigan is a religion scholar, known for being the author of a number of books on religion. He currently is the Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion and Professor of History at Florida State University. He is a leader in the academic study of religion and emotion and in...
, "for its engrossing examination of the tactics that have made Wal-MartWal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
the largest company in the world with cascading effects across American towns and developing countries." - 2005: Walt BogdanichWalt BogdanichWalt Bogdanich is an American investigative journalist.-Life:Bogdanich graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1975 with a degree in political science...
of New York Times, "for his heavily documented stories about the corporate cover-up of responsibility for fatal accidents at railway crossings." - 2006: James RisenJames RisenJames Risen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist for The New York Times who previously worked for the Los Angeles Times. He has written or co-written many articles concerning U.S...
and Eric LichtblauEric LichtblauEric Lichtblau is an American journalist and Washington bureau reporter for The New York Times.-Life:Lichtblau joined The Times in September 2002 as a correspondent covering the Justice Department. Previously, Lichtblau worked at the Los Angeles Times for 15 years, where he also covered the Justice...
of the New York Times, "for their carefully sourced stories on secret domestic eavesdroppingEavesdroppingEavesdropping is the act of secretly listening to the private conversation of others without their consent, as defined by Black's Law Dictionary...
that stirred a national debate on the boundary line between fighting terrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and protecting civil liberty." - 2006: Staffs of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service, "with notable work by Marcus SternMarcus SternMarcus Stern is the Associate Director of the American Repertory Theater as well as the A.R.T./MXAT's Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. Stern lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has directed numerous productions for the A.R.T...
and Jerry Kammer, for their disclosure of bribeBriberyBribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
-taking that sent former Rep.United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Randy CunninghamDuke CunninghamRandall Harold Cunningham , usually known as Randy or Duke, is United States Navy veteran, convicted felon, and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California's 50th Congressional District from 1991 to 2005.Cunningham resigned from the House on November 28,...
to prison in disgrace." - 2007: Charlie SavageCharlie SavageCharlie Savage is a newspaper reporter in Washington, D.C., with the New York Times, which he joined in May 2008. In 2007, when employed by the Boston Globe, he was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting on the issue of Presidential Signing Statements, specifically the use...
of The Boston GlobeThe Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, "for his revelations that President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
often used "signing statementSigning statementA signing statement is a written pronouncement issued by the President of the United States upon the signing of a bill into law. They are usually printed along with the bill in United States Code Congressional and Administrative News ....
s" to assert his controversial right to bypass provisions of new laws." - 2008: Jo BeckerJo BeckerJo Becker is an award-winning journalist, currently an investigative reporter for The New York Times. Formerly with the Washington Post, she won, with Barton Gellman, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Ms. Becker and Mr. Gellman won the prize with a series of articles titled Angler,...
and Barton GellmanBarton GellmanBarton David Gellman is a Pulitzer Prize winning American journalist, blogger and bestselling author.-Career:After 21 years on the staff of The Washington Post, Gellman resigned in February 2010 to concentrate on book and magazine writing...
of The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, "for their lucid exploration of Vice PresidentVice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick CheneyDick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
and his powerful yet sometimes disguised influence on national policy." - 2009: St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
Staff, "for “PolitiFactPolitiFact.comPolitiFact.com is a project that is operated by the St. Petersburg Times, a project in which its reporters and editors "fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups...." They publish original statements and their evaluations on the PolitiFact.com...
,” its fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaignUnited States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
that used probing reporters and the power of the World Wide WebWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
to examine more than 750 political claims, separating rhetoric from truth to enlighten voters." Home page