Apr 20, 2009

Pulitzer prizes*, **

The Las Vegas Sun won the coveted Public Service award for a series on construction deaths on the Las Vegas Strip.

(Marshall Allen, my former colleague at the Pasadena Star-News and now a Sun reporter, had this to say when I congratulated him: "We're stunned." I'm also told that, as of 12:30 p.m. Pacific, the lead reporter is out of the office with her cell phone off and so doesn't even know she's won yet. 12:39 p.m.: Alexandra Berzon just arrived at the office to a round of applause.)

Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times won for explanatory reporting for their stories studying the effectiveness of strategies to battle Western wild fires.

The New York Times racked up the highest number of awards, with five, including one for breaking the Eliot Spitzer call-girl scandal.

The list of winners is here. A fuller explanation of what each paper won for is here.

*This post has been updated.

**Update, two: Two Pulitzer notes to consider. The first comes from Mark Lacter at LA Biz Observed. He noticed that none of the awards were for coverage of the financial collapse. I'd picked Gretchen Morgenson as a favorite.

The second, and sadder, note comes from Portfolio, which reports that two of the Pulitzer winners, both from the East Valley Tribune in Arizona, were laid off late last year.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee, the Press-Enterprise isn't on the list of winners. Wonder how that happened?

Unknown said...

Ask the "courageous" reporters at the Sun and the Rj why they won't touch the Sunrise Landfill story. A toxic unlined landfill- directly uphill from the Las Vegas Wash- that is leaking DAILY into Lake Mead. The West Coast drinking water supply.

Abandoned in 1993 due to Federal EPA standards- signed off by the County- STILL NOT SECURED to this day. 16 YEARS LATER.

Now the County lets Pardee builds 919 homes (Sunrise Highlands) and East Valley Career High School RIGHT NEXT TO IT to act as a human filtration system for MASSIVE ground water contamination. Why won't they write about it?

Harry and Rory Reid pulled every string they could to let their buddy PARDEE, get his hands on that previously "UNUSABLE ACREAGE."

Deaths on the Strip? A very big deal. Great reporting by Ms. Berzon.

Contaminating our drinking water supply- without warning? Unimaginable.

Contaminating the entire Community without disclosure by the builder? Criminal behavior at best.

Clark County Building Department falsifying records to allow Pardee to begin building? That would be a crime against HUMANITY. Read the Kessler- Rio Report.

Watching Rory and Harry Reid reap the benefits of this disaster? Business as usual in Las Vegas. PRICELESS!

To the BRAVE reporters in Las Vegas? Yank your heads out of your a$$e$ and write the story. Be a Hero in advance. Why wait for the children to start dying. Didn't we learn anything from Fallon?

You want some inside info? Just ask. I was there. I'll hand you the story.
Why does it have to come from OUTSIDE of Las Vegas. Do your job.

Anonymous said...

Has "Mynisha" won the Pulitzer yet?

Anonymous said...

taking credit for marshall's win because you used to work with him sounds like bad decision making gary you putz

Edward Barrera said...

3:24 and 5:53,
You two chuckleheads are more alike than you would ever imagine.

Anonymous said...

Goodness Eddie. Ever wonder who you insult when you make uncessary and aggressive comments like the one above?

I should apologize to anyone who read my attempts to defend Eddie on an an earlier post. I knew him as a great reporter and stand up guy. Now I realize, I never knew him at all.

And yes Eddie. I know you don't need me or anyone else to defend you. I won't make that mistake again. This is not sarcasm but an attempt to avoid getting caught in your crosshairs.

And Gary, I understand if you need to delete this entry.

Edward Barrera said...

1:25,
It's the same reason I went after the whining, sour, anonymous commentators who blamed the current editors for problems affecting every newspaper in the country.
Taking potshots at Gary, anonymously of course, makes you no better than the whiners.
I've had my problems with Gary, and this blog. But I've tried hard to let him know personally or at least post my belief here.
Let's work on the solutions, don't become one of 'them.'
And by the way, when one of my friends was a finalist for the prize, I crowed about it.