Eighty-Seventh Annual Pulitzer Prizes Announced for Journalism, Letters, Drama and MusicThe 87th annual Pulitzer Prizes

in Journalism, Letters, Drama andMusic, awarded on the recom-mendation of the Pulitzer PrizeBoard, were announced on April7, 2003 by President Lee C.Bollinger.

The winners in each category,along with the names of the final-ists in the competition, follow:

Prizes in JournalismPublic ServiceFor a distinguished example of

meritorious public service by anewspaper through the use of itsjournalistic resources which, aswell as reporting, may include edi-torials, cartoons, photographs andan online presentation, a goldmedal.

Awarded to The Boston Globefor its courageous, comprehensivecoverage of sexual abuse bypriests, an effort that pierced secre-cy, stirred local, national and inter-national reaction and producedchanges in the Roman CatholicChurch.

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: The DetroitNews for the work of Norman Sin-clair, Ronald Hansen and MelvinClaxton that revealed dangerousdefects and spurred changes in a

criminal justice system thatallowed lawbreakers to get awaywith everything from petty theft tomurder; and The Pensacola NewsJournal for its uncommon couragein publishing stories that exposeda culture of corruption in Escam-bia County, Fla., and resulted inthe indictment of four of fivecounty commissioners.

Breaking News Reporting For a distinguished example of

local reporting of breaking news,seven thousand five hundred dol-lars ($7,500).

Awarded to The Eagle-Tribunestaff, Lawrence, Mass., for itsdetailed, well-crafted stories onthe accidental drowning of fourboys in the Merrimack River.

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: The BaltimoreSun staff for its compelling andcomprehensive coverage of thesniper killings that terrorized theWashington-Baltimore region;and The Seattle Times staff for itsenterprising coverage of the manylocal connections to the ex-soldierand his teenage companion arrest-ed in the sniper attacks in theWashington, D.C., region.

Investigative ReportingFor a distinguished example of

investigative reporting by an indi-vidual or team, presented as a sin-gle article or series, seven thou-sand five hundred dollars ($7,500).

Awarded to Clifford J. Levy ofThe New York Times for his vivid,brilliantly written series “BrokenHomes” that exposed the abuse ofmentally ill adults in state-regulat-ed homes.

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: Alan Millerand Kevin Sack of the Los AngelesTimes for their revelatory andmoving examination of a militaryaircraft, nicknamed “The WidowMaker,” that was linked to thedeaths of 45 pilots (moved by theBoard to the National Reportingcategory, where it was alsoentered); and The Seattle Timesstaff for its outstanding blend ofinvestigation and evocative story-telling that showed how a foot-loose Algerian boy evolved into aterrorist.

Explanatory ReportingFor a distinguished example of

explanatory reporting that illumi-nates a significant and complexsubject, demonstrating mastery ofthe subject, lucid writing and clearpresentation, seven thousand fivehundred dollars ($7,500).

Awarded to The Wall StreetJournal staff for its clear, conciseand comprehensive stories thatilluminated the roots, signifi-cance and impact of corporatescandals in America. (moved bythe jury from the Public Servicecategory)

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: Jim Haner,John B. O’Donnell and KimberlyA.C. Wilson of The Baltimore Sunfor “Justice Undone,” their in-depth examination of the city’sdisturbingly low conviction rate inmurder cases; and The MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel staff for itspainstaking explanation of chron-ic-wasting disease among deer inWisconsin, and the impact of theaffliction on the state’s citizens,communities and culture.

Beat ReportingFor a distinguished example of

beat reporting characterized bysustained and knowledgeable cov-erage of a particular subject oractivity, seven thousand five hun-dred dollars ($7,500).

Awarded to Diana K. Sugg ofThe Baltimore Sun for her absorb-ing, often poignant stories that illu-minated complex medical issuesthrough the lives of people.

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: Cameron W.Barr of The Christian ScienceMonitor for the extraordinaryclarity, diversity and context in hisongoing coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and DavidCay Johnston of The New YorkTimes for his stories that displayedexquisite command of complicat-ed U.S. tax laws and of how cor-porations and individuals twistthem to their advantage.

National ReportingFor a distinguished example of

reporting on national affairs,seven thousand five hundred dol-lars ($7,500).

Awarded to Alan Miller andKevin Sack of The Los AngelesTimes for their revelatory andmoving examination of a militaryaircraft, nicknamed “The WidowMaker,” that was linked to thedeaths of 45 pilots. (moved by theBoard from the InvestigativeReporting category to the Nation-al Reporting category, where itwas also entered)

Nominated as finalists in thiscategory were: The Chicago Tri-bune staff for its engrossingexploration of the fall of ArthurAndersen, a once proud account-ing firm; Anne Hull of The Wash-ington Post for “Rim of the NewWorld,” her masterful accounts ofyoung immigrants coming of agein the American South, and TheNew York Times staff for its tena-ciously reported and clearly writ-ten stories that exposed andexplained corruption in corporateAmerica.

International ReportingFor a distinguished example of

reporting on international affairs,including United Nations corre-spondence, seven thousand fivehundred dollars ($7,500).

Awarded to Kevin Sullivan andMary Jordan of The WashingtonPost for their exposure of horrificconditions in Mexico’s criminaljustice system and how they affectthe daily lives of people.

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: Alix M. Freed-man and Steve Stecklow of TheWall Street Journal for theirremarkable reports revealing lit-tle-known ways that SaddamHussein profited from the UnitedNations sanctions meant to punishhim; and R.C. Longworth of theChicago Tribune for “A FrayingAlliance,” his perceptive series onemerging tensions between theUnited States and Europe.

Feature WritingFor a distinguished example of

feature writing giving prime con-sideration to high literary qualityand originality, seven thousandfive hundred dollars ($7,500).

Awarded to Sonia Nazario ofthe Los Angeles Times for“Enrique’s Journey,” her touch-ing, exhaustively reported story ofa Honduran boy’s perilous searchfor his mother who had migratedto the United States.

Also nominated as finalists inthis category were: ConnieSchultz of The Plain Dealer,Cleveland, for her moving storyabout a wrongfully convictedman who refused to succumb toanger or bitterness; and DavidStabler of The Oregonian, Port-land, for his sensitive, some-times surprising chronicle of ateenage prodigy’s struggle with amusical talent that proved to beboth a gift and a problem.The photo above, by Don Barletti of the Los Angeles Times, was among the work that earned Barletti the Pulitzer for Feature Photography.

4 C o l u m b i a U n i v e r s i t y RECORD April 11, 2003