Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
Encyclopedia
The Pulitzer Prize
for Explanatory Reporting has been presented since 1998, for a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation. From 1985 to 1997, it was known as the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism.
The Pulitzer Prize Board announced the new category in November 1984, citing a series of explanatory articles that seven months earlier had won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
. The series, "Making It Fly" by Peter Rinearson
of the Seattle Times, was a 29,000-word account of the development of the Boeing 757
jetliner. It had been entered in the National Reporting category, but judges moved it to Feature Writing to award it a prize. In the aftermath, the Pulitzer Prize Board said it was creating the new category in part because of the ambiguity about where explanatory accounts such as "Making It Fly" should be recognized. 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 Explanatory Reporting has been presented since 1998, for a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation. From 1985 to 1997, it was known as the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism.
The Pulitzer Prize Board announced the new category in November 1984, citing a series of explanatory articles that seven months earlier had won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing
The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing has been awarded since 1979 for a distinguished example of feature writing giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.-List of winners and their...
. The series, "Making It Fly" by Peter Rinearson
Peter Rinearson
Peter Mark Rinearson is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times best-selling journalist, author and businessman.-Journalism career:...
of the Seattle Times, was a 29,000-word account of the development of the Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
jetliner. It had been entered in the National Reporting category, but judges moved it to Feature Writing to award it a prize. In the aftermath, the Pulitzer Prize Board said it was creating the new category in part because of the ambiguity about where explanatory accounts such as "Making It Fly" should be recognized. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.
List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism
- 1985: Jon FranklinJon FranklinJon Daniel Franklin is an Pulitzer Prize-winning American author. He was born on January 13, 1943 in Enid, Oklahoma. He won the first Pulitzer Prizes for Feature Writing in 1979 and for Explanatory Journalism in 1985, both for his work as a science writer with the Baltimore Evening Sun. Franklin...
, Baltimore Evening Sun, "for his seven-part series 'The Mind FixersThe Mind FixersThe Mind Fixers was a seven-part series of newspaper stories which ran in the Baltimore Evening Sun in July 1984. It was written by Jon Franklin. It won the award for Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1987....
,' about the new science of molecular psychiatry." - 1986: Staff of the New York Times, "for a six-part comprehensive series on the Strategic Defense InitiativeStrategic Defense InitiativeThe Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
, which explored the scientific, political and foreign policy issues involved in 'Star Wars.'" - 1987: Jeff Lyon and Peter Gorner, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. "for their series on the promises of gene therapyGene therapyGene therapy is the insertion, alteration, or removal of genes within an individual's cells and biological tissues to treat disease. It is a technique for correcting defective genes that are responsible for disease development...
, which examined the implications of this revolutionary medical treatment." - 1988: Daniel HertzbergDaniel HertzbergDaniel Hertzberg, an American journalist, is the former deputy managing editor for international news at The Wall Street Journal. Starting July 1, 2009, Hertzberg has served as senior editor-at-large at BLOOMBERG NEWS in New York. Hertzberg is a 1968 graduate of the University of Chicago.-Awards:In...
and James B. StewartJames B. StewartJames Bennett Stewart is an American lawyer, journalist, and author.-Life and career:Stewart was born in Quincy, Illinois. A graduate of DePauw University and Harvard Law School, James B. Stewart is a member of the Bar of New York and Bloomberg Professor of Business and Economic Journalism at the...
, Wall Street Journal, "for their stories about an investment bankerInvestment bankingAn investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
charged with insider tradingInsider tradingInsider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
and the critical day that followed the October 19, 1987 Black MondayBlack Monday (1987)In finance, Black Monday refers to Monday October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong and spread west to Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already declined by a significant margin...
stock market crash." - 1989: David Hanners, reporter, William Snyder, photographer, and Karen Blessen, artist, 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...
, "for their special report on a 1985 airplane crash, the follow-up investigation, and the implications for air safety. " - 1990: David A. ViseDavid A. ViseDavid A. Vise, a journalist and author for over 20 years, is now a Senior Advisor to New Mountain Capital, a New York-based investment firm, and New Mountain Vantage, its public equity fund. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1990 while working as a business reporter for the Washington Post...
and Steve CollSteve CollSteve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and writer. Coll is currently president and CEO of the New America Foundation. Prior to assuming that post on September 17, 2007, Coll was a staff writer for The New Yorker, and served as managing editor of The Washington Post from 1998 to...
, Washington Post, "for stories scrutinizing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the way it has been affected by the policies of its former chairman, John Shad." - 1991: Susan C. Faludi, Wall Street Journal, "for a report on the leveraged buy-out of SafewaySafeway Inc.Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
Stores, Inc., that revealed the human costs of high finance." - 1992: Robert S. Capers and Eric LiptonEric LiptonEric Lipton is a reporter at the New York Times. Lipton joined the Times in 1999, covering the final years of the administration of New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, as well as the 2001 terror attacks. He is co-author of the 2003 book City in the Sky, the Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center...
, Hartford Courant, "for a series about the flawed Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space TelescopeThe Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
that illustrated many of the problems plaguing America's space program." - 1993: Mike Toner, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "for 'When Bugs Fight Back,' a series that explored the diminishing effectiveness of antibiotics and pesticides."
- 1994: Ronald Kotulak, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, "for his lucid coverage of current developments in neurological science." - 1995: Leon DashLeon DashLeon Dash is a professor of journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A former reporter for the Washington Post, he is the author of Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family in Urban America, which grew out of the eight-part Washington Post series for which he won the Pulitzer...
, staff writer, and Lucian PerkinsLucian PerkinsLucian Perkins is an award-winning American photojournalist, who is best known for covering a number of controversial conflicts with profound compassion for his photograph's subjects, including the war in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the 1991 Persian Gulf War...
, photographer, Washington Post, "for their profile of a District of Columbia family's struggle with destructive cycles of poverty, illiteracy, crime and drug abuse." - 1996: Laurie GarrettLaurie GarrettLaurie Garrett is a Pulitzer prize-winning science journalist and writer of two bestselling books. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1996 for a series of works published in Newsday, chronicling the Ebola virus outbreak in Zaire.-Biographical information:Garrett...
, NewsdayNewsdayNewsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, Long Island, N.Y., "for her courageous reporting from ZaireZaireThe Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
on the EbolaEbolaEbola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
virus outbreak there." (The winner was nominated in the International ReportingPulitzer Prize for International ReportingThis Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence. In its first six years , it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting - International...
category but moved by the Pulitzer Prize Board to Explanatory Journalism.) - 1997: Michael VitezMichael VitezMichael Vitez is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and published author.Vitez has written for the Philadelphia Inquirer since 1985 and is known for his human-interest stories...
, reporter, and April SaulApril SaulApril Saul is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. She specializes in documentary photojournalism.Saul has photographed and written for The Philadelphia Inquirer since 1981...
and Ron Cortes, photographers of 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 a series on the choices that confronted critically ill patients who sought to die with dignity."
List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
- 1998: Paul SalopekPaul SalopekPaul Salopek is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning writer. Salopek was raised in central Mexico.-Life:Salopek received a degree in environmental biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984...
, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, "for his enlightening profile of the Human Genome Diversity ProjectHuman Genome Diversity ProjectThe Human Genome Diversity Project was started by Stanford University's Morrison Institute and a collaboration of scientists around the world. It is the result of many years of work by Luigi Cavalli-Sforza, one of the most cited scientists in the world, which has published extensively in the use...
, which seeks to chart the genetic relationship among all people." - 1999: Richard ReadRichard ReadRichard Read is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and a senior staff writer for The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon.-Early life:...
, The OregonianThe OregonianThe Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
(Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
), "for vividly illustrating the domestic impact of the Asian economic crisis by profiling the local industry that exports frozen french fries." - 2000: Eric Newhouse, Great Falls TribuneGreat Falls TribuneThe Great Falls Tribune is a daily morning newspaper printed in Great Falls, Montana. Its Sunday circulation is 36,763, with 33,434 on weekdays...
(Great Falls, MontanaGreat Falls, MontanaGreat Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
), "for his vivid examination of alcohol abuseAlcohol abuseAlcohol abuse, as described in the DSM-IV, is a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. Alcohol abuse eventually progresses to alcoholism, a condition in which an individual becomes dependent on alcoholic beverages in order to avoid...
and the problems it creates in the community." - 2001: Staff of the Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, "for 'Gateway to Gridlock,' its clear and compelling profile of the chaotic American air traffic system." - 2002: 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 its informed and detailed reporting, before and after the September 11th attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on America, that profiled the global 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...
network and the threats it posed." - 2003: Staff of the Wall Street Journal, "for its clear, concise and comprehensive stories that illuminated the roots, significance and impact of corporate scandals in America. This was originally nominated in the Public ServicePulitzer Prize for Public ServiceThe Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
category, but was moved by the jury." - 2004: Kevin HellikerKevin HellikerKevin P. Helliker is an American journalist and currently a senior writer in the Chicago bureau of the Wall Street Journal. He and Thomas M. Burton shared the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism for a series of articles about aneurysms...
and Thomas M. Burton, Wall Street Journal, "for their groundbreaking examination of aneurysmAneurysmAn aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
s, an often overlooked medical condition that kills thousands of Americans each year." - 2005: Gareth CookGareth CookGareth Cook is an American journalist and editor. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for “explaining, with clarity and humanity, the complex scientific and ethical dimensions of stem cell research.” Cook is currently a Sunday columnist at the Boston Globe, and is also the editor of ,...
, Boston Globe, "for explaining, with clarity and humanity, the complex scientific and ethical dimensions of stem cellStem cellThis article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
research." - 2006: David FinkelDavid FinkelDavid Louis Finkel is an American journalist. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 as a staff writer at the Washington Post. He is currently assigned to the national staff as an enterprise reporter. He has also worked for the Post's foreign staff division...
, Washington Post, "for his ambitious, clear-eyed case study of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government’s attempt to bring democracyDemocracyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
to YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
." - 2007: Kenneth R. WeissKenneth R. WeissKenneth R. Weiss is an investigative journalist for the Los Angeles Times.He graduated from University of California, Berkeley, where he was editor of the college newspaper, The Daily Californian.He spoke at University of California, Santa Barbara....
, Usha Lee McFarling and Rick Loomis of the 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 richly portrayed reports on the world's distressed oceans, telling the story in print and online, and stirring reaction among readers and officials." - 2008: Amy HarmonAmy HarmonAmy Harmon is a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for The New York Times. After receiving a B.A. degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan, she began her career in journalism as the Opinion page editor of the Michigan Daily, the university's student newspaper...
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 her striking examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing, using human stories to sharpen her reports." - 2009 Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the 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 fresh and painstaking exploration into the cost and effectiveness of attempts to combat the growing menace of wildfires across the western United States." - 2010 Michael Moss and members 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...
Staff "for relentless reporting on contaminated hamburger and other food safety issues". - 2011 Mark Johnson, Kathleen Gallagher, Gary Porter, Lou Saldivar and Alison Sherwood of the Milwaukee Journal SentinelMilwaukee Journal SentinelThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
"for their lucid examination of an epic effort to use genetic technology to save a 4-year-old boy imperiled by a mysterious disease, told with words, graphics, videos and other images."