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Home , Dele Olojede, Gareth Cook, Nigel Jaquiss, Paul Steiger

Contact: Madeleine Perez 212.854.7884 [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE USE April 4, 2005

The 89th annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music, awarded on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board, were announced today by Columbia University. The winners in each category, along with the names of the finalists in the competition, follow:

A. PRIZES IN JOURNALISM

1. PUBLIC SERVICE

For a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper through the use of its journalistic resources which, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs and an online presentation, a gold medal.

Awarded to the for its courageous, exhaustively researched series exposing deadly medical problems and racial injustice at a major public hospital.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: The for its tenacious investigation into the widespread poisoning of children by lead-tainted Mexican candy, spurring remedial action, and the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal for its valiant and innovative coverage, in the newspaper and online, of the coastal devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan.

2. BREAKING NEWS REPORTING

For a distinguished example of local reporting of breaking news, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to the Staff of The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J., for its comprehensive, clear-headed coverage of the resignation of New Jersey’s

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governor after he announced he was gay and confessed to adultery with a male lover.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: The Charlotte Sun Staff, Charlotte Harbor, Fla., for its heroic coverage of Hurricane Charley after it destroyed the homes of employees and cut the paper’s power supply and phone service, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Staff for its enterprising and wide- ranging coverage, under difficult conditions, of four hurricanes that battered Florida over a six-week span.

3. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

For a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Nigel Jaquiss of , Portland, Ore., for his investigation exposing a former governor’s long concealed sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Diana B. Henriques of for her revelations that thousands of vulnerable American soldiers were exploited by some insurance companies, investment firms and lenders, and Clark Kauffman of The Des Moines Register for his exposure of glaring injustice in the handling of traffic tickets by public officials.

4. EXPLANATORY REPORTING

For a distinguished example of explanatory reporting that illuminates a significant and complex subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Gareth Cook of for explaining, with clarity and humanity, the complex scientific and ethical dimensions of stem cell research.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: William J. Broad and David E. Sanger of The New York Times for their aggressive reporting and lucid writing that cast light on the shadowy process of nuclear proliferation, and the Staff of , Long Island, N.Y., for its serious, energetic and substantive series examining three decades of hip-hop music in American life.

5. BEAT REPORTING

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For a distinguished example of beat reporting characterized by sustained and knowledgeable coverage of a particular subject or activity, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Amy Dockser Marcus of The Journal for her masterful stories about patients, families and physicians that illuminated the often unseen world of cancer survivors.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Ronald Brownstein of the Los Angeles Times for the clarity, consistency and quality of his political reporting during a presidential election year, and Dana Priest of for her determined, deeply sourced and insightful coverage of United States intelligence operations.

6. NATIONAL REPORTING

For a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to of The New York Times for his heavily documented stories about the corporate cover-up of responsibility for fatal accidents at railway crossings.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Steve Suo and Erin Hoover Barnett of , Portland, for their groundbreaking reports on the failure to curtail the growing illicit use of methamphetamines, and The Washington Post Staff for its relentless, unflinching chronicle of abuses by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

7. INTERNATIONAL REPORTING

For a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Two Prizes of $10,000 each:

Awarded to of the Los Angeles Times for her eloquent, wide ranging coverage of Russia’s struggle to cope with terrorism, improve the economy and make democracy work. and

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Awarded to Dele Olojede of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y., for his fresh, haunting look at Rwanda a decade after rape and genocidal slaughter had ravaged the Tutsi tribe.

Also nominated as a finalist in this category was: Borzou Daragahi, a freelance journalist employed by The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J., for his vivid, deeply reported stories on the impact of the Iraq war on citizens and soldiers alike.

8. FEATURE WRITING

For a distinguished example of feature writing giving prime consideration to high literary quality and originality, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Julia Keller of the for her gripping, meticulously reconstructed account of a deadly 10-second tornado that ripped through Utica, Ill.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Robin Gaby Fisher of The Star- Ledger, Newark, N.J., for her exhaustive look inside the lives of students at an alternative high school, shattering stereotypes and delineating memorable characters, and Anne Hull of The Washington Post for her clear, sensitive, tirelessly reported stories on what it means to be young and gay in modern America.

9. COMMENTARY

For distinguished commentary, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Connie Schultz of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, for her pungent columns that provided a voice for the underdog and underprivileged.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Nicholas D. Kristof of The New York Times for his powerful columns that portrayed suffering among the developing world’s often forgotten people and stirred action, and Tommy Tomlinson of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer for his provocative columns with a wide-ranging human touch.

10. CRITICISM

For distinguished criticism, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Joe Morgenstern of for his reviews that elucidated the strengths and weaknesses of film with rare insight, authority and wit.

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Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Frank Rich of The New York Times for boldly exploring the influence of popular culture on American politics and society, and Carlin Romano of The Chronicle of Higher Education for bringing new vitality to the classic essay across a formidable array of topics.

11. EDITORIAL WRITING

For distinguished editorial writing, the test of excellence being clearness of style, moral purpose, sound reasoning, and power to influence public opinion in what the writer conceives to be the right direction, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Tom Philp of The Sacramento Bee for his deeply researched editorials on reclaiming California’s flooded Hetch Hetchy Valley that stirred action.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Sebastian Mallaby of The Washington Post for his persistent and passionate editorials on the tragedy in the Darfur region of the Sudan, and David Yarnold and Daniel Vasquez of the San Jose Mercury News for their forceful editorial campaign against unethical behavior in city hall that resulted in significant change.

12. EDITORIAL CARTOONING

For a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing and pictorial effect, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Nick Anderson of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky., for his unusual graphic style that produced extraordinarily thoughtful and powerful messages.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Garry Trudeau of Universal Press Syndicate for his provocative “Doonesbury” cartoons that used realistic characters to dramatize social and political issues, and Don Wright of The Palm Beach Post for his portfolio of wry but hard hitting cartoons that addressed a wide range of issues with unflinching honesty.

13. BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY

For a distinguished example of breaking news photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to the Associated Press Staff for its stunning series of photographs of bloody yearlong combat inside Iraqi cities.

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Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Arko Datta of for his picture that captured a woman’s anguish in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, and The Palm Beach Post Staff for its imaginative and panoramic coverage of hurricanes that struck Florida.

14. FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

For a distinguished example of feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence or an album, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to Deanne Fitzmaurice of the San Francisco Chronicle for her sensitive photo essay on an Oakland hospital’s effort to mend an Iraqi boy nearly killed by an explosion.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Jim Gehrz of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul, for his poignant portrait of a woman soldier’s struggle to recover from grave shrapnel wounds to her head, and Luis Sinco of the Los Angeles Times for his iconic photograph of an exhausted U.S. Marine’s face after a daylong battle in Iraq.

B. LETTERS AND DRAMA PRIZES

1. FICTION

For distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “War Trash” by Ha Jin (Pantheon Books), and “An Unfinished Season” by Ward Just (Houghton Mifflin).

2. DRAMA

For a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Doubt, a parable” by John Patrick Shanley

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Thom Pain (based on nothing)” by Will Eno, and “The Clean House” by Sarah Ruhl.

3. HISTORY

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For a distinguished book upon the history of the United States, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Washington’s Crossing” by David Hackett Fischer (Oxford University Press).

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age” by Kevin Boyle (Henry Holt), and “Conjectures of Order: Intellectual Life and the American South, 1810-1860, volumes 1 & 2” by Michael O’Brien (The University of North Carolina Press).

4. BIOGRAPHY

For a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “de Kooning: An American Master” by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan (Alfred A. Knopf).

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare” by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton), and “Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of The Birds of America” by William Souder (North Point Press/Farrar, Straus & Giroux).

5. POETRY

For a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Delights & Shadows” by Ted Kooser (Copper Canyon Press).

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “The Orchard” by Brigit Pegeen Kelly (BOA Editions, Ltd.), and “Search Party: Collected Poems” by the late William Matthews (Houghton Mifflin).

6. GENERAL NON-FICTION

For a distinguished book of non-fiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001” by (The Penguin Press).

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Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found” by Suketu Mehta (Alfred A. Knopf), and “The Devil’s Highway: A True Story” by Luis Alberto Urrea (Little, Brown and Company).

C. PRIZE IN MUSIC

For distinguished musical composition of significant dimension by an American that has had its first performance in the United States during the year, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to “Second Concerto for Orchestra” by Steven Stucky, premiered March 12, 2004 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA. (Theodore Presser Company)

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: “Dialogues” by Elliot Carter, premiered June 7, 2004 by the Chicago Contemporary Music Ensemble in Chicago, IL. (Boosey & Hawkes), and “You Are (Variations)” by Steve Reich, premiered October 23, 2004 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA.

The Pulitzer Prize Board made its recommendations when it met at Columbia on March 31 and April 1 and passed them to President Lee C. Bollinger. It announced that the awards would be presented at a luncheon on May 23 at Columbia University.

Amanda Bennett, Joann Byrd, Donald Graham, David Kennedy and Michael Pride were re-elected to membership on the board. The members of the Pulitzer Prize Board are: President Bollinger; Jim Amoss, editor, The New Orleans Times Picayune; Andrew Barnes, chairman, Poynter Institute for Media Studies (chair); Amanda Bennett, editor and executive vice president, The Philadelphia Inquirer; Joann Byrd, former editor of the editorial page, Seattle Post-Intelligencer; Kathleen Carroll, executive editor and senior vice president, Associated Press; , columnist, The New York Times; Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W.E.B. DuBois Professor of Humanities, Harvard University; Donald E. Graham, chairman, The Washington Post; Anders Gyllenhaal, editor and senior vice president, Star Tribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul; Jay T. Harris, director, Center for the Study of Journalism and Democracy,

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University of Southern California; David M. Kennedy, Donald J. McLachlan professor of history, Stanford University; Nicholas Lemann, dean, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University; , senior vice president and editor, Chicago Tribune; Gregory L. Moore, editor, The Denver Post; Richard Oppel, editor, Austin American-Statesman; Michael Pride, editor, Concord (N.H.) Monitor; Paul Steiger, managing editor, The Wall Street Journal; and Sig Gissler, administrator of the Prizes. In any category in which board members have an interest due to the action of the various nominating juries, those members do not participate in the discussion and voting and leave the room until a decision is reached in the affected category. Similarly, members of nominating juries do not participate in the discussion of or voting on entries in which they have an interest.

4.04.05