Loretta Tofani
Encyclopedia
Loretta Tofani is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American
journalist
.
in 1975 and a master’s degree in journalism
from the University of California, Berkeley
. She had a Fulbright fellowship to Japan in 1983.
In 1982, while a staff writer at The Washington Post
, she wrote a series of articles about a pattern of widespread gang rape
inside a Prince George's County Maryland
jail for which she won a 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
. The series was notable for its documentation: Tofani obtained the victims' medical records and interviewed the victims as well as the rapists. The victims were innocent, charged with drunk driving and shop lifting, in jail because they did not have enough money for bond. The jail placed them in the same cellblocks with convicted murderers and armed robbers, who raped them. The jail changed its policies as a result of the series.
Tofani describes in her article that rapes occurred at PG County about a dozen times a week, but through a Grand Jury proceeding that supposed account was found to be completely unfounded with no evidence. At the time of her article only one current rape victim could be discovered, and it was already acknowledged. No additional charges were brought out as a result.
After nine years at The Washington Post, Tofani in 1987 became a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
, serving as the paper's Beijing Bureau Chief from 1992 through 1996. She wrote for the Inquirer for 14 years. She won other national awards at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and was a finalist for another Pulitzer Prize. She and her family moved to Utah in 2001. She currently lives in Boise, Idaho.
As a free-lancer in 2007, Tofani reported and wrote the newspaper series, "American Imports, Chinese Deaths." The six stories showed that millions of Chinese factory workers were getting fatal diseases and limb amputations while making thousands of products for the U.S. Chinese workers have been paying the real price of America's cheap goods. The series was published in The Salt Lake Tribune (http://extras.sltrib.com/china/). Tofani reported the series by making five trips to China with small travel grants provided by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Center for Investigative Reporting's Dick Goldensohn Fund.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Life
Tofani earned a bachelor’s degree from Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in 1975 and a master’s degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. She had a Fulbright fellowship to Japan in 1983.
In 1982, while a staff writer at The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The 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...
, she wrote a series of articles about a pattern of widespread gang rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
inside a Prince George's County Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
jail for which she won a 1983 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...
. The series was notable for its documentation: Tofani obtained the victims' medical records and interviewed the victims as well as the rapists. The victims were innocent, charged with drunk driving and shop lifting, in jail because they did not have enough money for bond. The jail placed them in the same cellblocks with convicted murderers and armed robbers, who raped them. The jail changed its policies as a result of the series.
Tofani describes in her article that rapes occurred at PG County about a dozen times a week, but through a Grand Jury proceeding that supposed account was found to be completely unfounded with no evidence. At the time of her article only one current rape victim could be discovered, and it was already acknowledged. No additional charges were brought out as a result.
After nine years at The Washington Post, Tofani in 1987 became a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The 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...
, serving as the paper's Beijing Bureau Chief from 1992 through 1996. She wrote for the Inquirer for 14 years. She won other national awards at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and was a finalist for another Pulitzer Prize. She and her family moved to Utah in 2001. She currently lives in Boise, Idaho.
As a free-lancer in 2007, Tofani reported and wrote the newspaper series, "American Imports, Chinese Deaths." The six stories showed that millions of Chinese factory workers were getting fatal diseases and limb amputations while making thousands of products for the U.S. Chinese workers have been paying the real price of America's cheap goods. The series was published in The Salt Lake Tribune (http://extras.sltrib.com/china/). Tofani reported the series by making five trips to China with small travel grants provided by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Center for Investigative Reporting's Dick Goldensohn Fund.
Awards
- Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe 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...
, 1983, local investigative reporting. - Investigative Reporters and Editors award, 1983 and 2008.
- Society of Professional Journalists' award for investigative reporting, 1983 and 2008.
- Michael Kelly Award from the Atlantic Media Company, 2008.
- special citation from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 2008.