Amid especially tight secrecy, the 2009 Pulitzer winners and finalists in journalism, letters, drama and music will be announced at the 3 p.m. press conference at Columbia University in New York City. "This has been the year without Pulitzer finalist leaks,'' Joe Strupp of Editor & Publisher says, in the trade journal's annual handicapping story.Still, among the favorites, Strupp says Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick of the Detroit Free Press seem likely finalists and potential winners for reporting that sent Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail on two felonies. (Read the Freep's first-day story.)
The Freep obtained text messages and other evidence that led to Kilpatrick's downfall. The paper has already won a George Polk Award, plus honors including an Investigative Reporters and Editors medal. "Also likely to at least garner a finalist spot are the handful of Web-only news outlets in the running,'' Strupp says. "With a change in Pulitzer rules this fall, websites that report original news at least weekly and have no link to broadcast or non-newspaper print publications are eligible."
At least five such outlets have told E&P they entered work. They include the St. Louis Beacon, Voices of San Diego, MinnPost, ProPublica, and the Center for Independent Media.
Related: the Pulitzer Prize website
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[Image: the Freep front page on the first day of its mayoral coverage]
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ReplyDeleteJim pulls it, sir.
ReplyDeleteGo Freep! It's practically the equivalent of a Heath Ledger Oscar.
ReplyDeleteI'm debating renewing my sub which I've had for about 30 years...I hate hate hate the web thing. And if I go to the rack to buy a "paper", I get a pamphlet of bizarro gaudy fonts and condensed-version content, little of which is locally created.
Anonymous 12:35...
ReplyDeleteyou said "little of which is locally created"??
what info do you have or know that I don't about content "little of which is locally created" because I swear to God I get into my car 5 days a week to work on stories for the paper then go into a newsroom full of other people work, editing, laying out "content" as you say.
either you are tripping on LSD or I have been for the past 15 years.
yeah, yeah and save your Gannett kool-aid drinker or Gannett robot worker. I just took that away from you so be original if you are going to come back at me with something.
Detroit won, yeah, Gannett wins a Pullet-Surprise!
ReplyDelete12:58--here's what I mean.
ReplyDeleteYou used to have a gardening writer--knowledgeable about local climate, what grows here, etc. Not now. At least the News still does...for the moment
There used to be more book reviews in the Sunday paper, with a local book page editor. Now, the occasional local reviewer (freelance?) but no full time person devoted to books, as far as I can tell, and certainly a lot less space for them
Used to be local music reviewers...now maybe a freelance Martin Bandyke review but seems not to be very often
food section--not all locally generated, and "seasonal" recipes from Dallas News are not useful in MI. Watermelons are NOT in season here in July as the Freep printed last summer. Still on balance better than the other sections, though for local
Used to be a local movie reviewer and a local TV reviewer. Now, all wire service crap that I read in other papers
Used to be Susan Ager...she's gone, not replaced. I didn't always like her but I always read her column. I'm sure there are others I can't remember at the moment.
Most of the content in the new "paper" is local, I'll grant you. But there ain't much of it. The stories are short, the headlines are huge. (Current exception is the excellent series about the Detroit pension money--that's good stuff.)
I don't care about gannett. I don't care if you are a company cheerleader. I'm a long time subscriber who doesn't like what is being offered now. My alternatives are to pay for what passes for a paper or to drop it. Do you think me dropping it is going to be good for you since you seem to think I'm not smart enough to appreciate the product?? I could spend the subscription money on more LSD, I suppose...
Hey Anonymous 12:35,
ReplyDeleteThere are some valid points you raise for sure but why couldn't you have just get your thoughts together in your first post or at least re-read it and expand on "locally created"??
Don't know what I can say about the redesign that you didn't already say. I don't like it either, the short stories, the no jumps etc but it is what it is and I still have a job getting paid to do what I love and tell stories.
I learned a long time ago to be happy with what you can control and not get stressed out about what you can't.
I can control the quality of the stories I do and how challenged I am at doing them. I can't control if my story gets cut, moved inside or pushed back for days.
It's my job to turn in a A+ story what happens after that is not up to me and I walk out of the newsroom happy knowing what I turned in.
That's how I roll!
The St. Cloud Times entered, but the incompetent managing editor forgot to send the paperwork with the entry. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete3:53, have a good trip!
ReplyDeleteDid you read that some of the Pulitzr Prize winners were laid off? Sad but true.
ReplyDelete