The 2010 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced.
April 12, 2010 1:11 PM   Subscribe

The Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced. The Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded since 1917, "honoring excellence in journalism and the arts". This year's Prizes are no different, going to a variety of journalistic and artistic endeavours which have stood out for their excellence in the past year. The New York Times summarises the winners.

2010 Pulitzer Prize winners list

Each entry links to the work for which the prize was awarded, where available online, and is followed by the Pulitzer Prize Committee's citation for the respective awards.

Journalism

Public Service - Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier: Awarded to the Bristol (VA) Herald Courier for the work of Daniel Gilbert in illuminating the murky mismanagement of natural-gas royalties owed to thousands of land owners in southwest Virginia, spurring remedial action by state lawmakers.

Breaking News Reporting - The Seattle Times Staff. Awarded to The Seattle Times Staff for its comprehensive coverage, in print and online, of the shooting deaths of four police officers in a coffee house and the 40-hour manhunt for the suspect.

Investigative Reporting - Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News. Awarded for their resourceful reporting that exposed a rogue police narcotics squad, resulting in an FBI probe and the review of hundreds of criminal cases tainted by the scandal.

and

Investigative Reporting (II)- Sheri Fink of ProPublica, in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine. Awarded for a story that chronicles the urgent life-and-death decisions made by one hospital’s exhausted doctors when they were cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina.

Explanatory Reporting - Michael Moss and members of The New York Times Staff. Awarded for relentless reporting on contaminated hamburger and other food safety issues that, in print and online, spotlighted defects in federal regulation and led to improved practices.

Local Reporting - Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Awarded for her penetrating reports on the fraud and abuse in a child-care program for low-wage working parents that fleeced taxpayers and imperiled children, resulting in a state and federal crackdown on providers.

National Reporting - Matt Richtel and members of The New York Times Staff. Awarded for incisive work, in print and online, on the hazardous use of cell phones, computers and other devices while operating cars and trucks, stimulating widespread efforts to curb distracted driving.

International Reporting - Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post. Awarded for his rich, beautifully written series on Iraq as the United States departs and its people and leaders struggle to deal with the legacy of war and to shape the nation’s future.

Feature Writing - Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post. Awarded for his haunting story about parents, from varying walks of life, who accidentally kill their children by forgetting them in cars.

Commentary - Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post. Awarded for her perceptive, often witty columns on an array of political and moral issues, gracefully sharing the experiences and values that lead her to unpredictable conclusions.

Criticism - Sarah Kaufman of The Washington Post. Awarded for her refreshingly imaginative approach to dance criticism, illuminating a range of issues and topics with provocative comments and original insights.

Editorial Writing - Tod Robberson, Colleen McCain Nelson and William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News. Awarded for their relentless editorials deploring the stark social and economic disparity between the city’s better-off northern half and distressed southern half.

Editorial Cartooning - Mark Fiore, self syndicated, appearing on SFGate.com. Awarded for his animated cartoons appearing on SFGate.com, the San Francisco Chronicle Web site, where his biting wit, extensive research and ability to distill complex issues set a high standard for an emerging form of commentary.

Breaking News Photography - Mary Chind of The Des Moines Register. Awarded for her photograph of the heart-stopping moment when a rescuer dangling in a makeshift harness tries to save a woman trapped in the foaming water beneath a dam.

Feature Photography - Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post. Awarded for his intimate portrait of a teenager who joins the Army at the height of insurgent violence in Iraq, poignantly searching for meaning and manhood.

Letters, Drama and Music

Fiction - Tinkers by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press). A powerful celebration of life in which a New England father and son, through suffering and joy, transcend their imprisoning lives and offer new ways of perceiving the world and mortality.

Drama - Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. A powerful rock musical that grapples with mental illness in a suburban family and expands the scope of subject matter for musicals.

History - Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press). A compelling account of how four powerful bankers played crucial roles in triggering the Great Depression and ultimately transforming the United States into the world’s financial leader.

Biography - The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf). A penetrating portrait of a complex, self-made titan who revolutionized transportation, amassed vast wealth and shaped the economic world in ways still felt today.

Poetry - Versed by Rae Armantrout (Wesleyan University Press). A book striking for its wit and linguistic inventiveness, offering poems that are often little thought-bombs detonating in the mind long after the first reading.

General Nonfiction - The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman (Doubleday). A well documented narrative that examines the terrifying doomsday competition between two superpowers and how weapons of mass destruction still imperil humankind. A deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity .

Music - Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon (Lawdon Press)

Special Citations

Hank Williams A posthumous special citation to Hank Williams for his craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.
posted by WalterMitty (62 comments total) 31 users marked this as a favorite
 
The list of the 2010 winners and finalists on the Pulitzer Prize website.
posted by WalterMitty at 1:13 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Tainted Justice totally rocked the city, awesome series that found the smaller and generally scrappier Daily News once again eating the Inquirer's lunch.
posted by The Straightener at 1:19 PM on April 12, 2010


What? No National Enquirer? I thought this would be their year!
posted by contessa at 1:20 PM on April 12, 2010


No National Enquirer, I see. There was some speculation they might get one.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 1:22 PM on April 12, 2010


The importance of awarding a Pulitzer to ProPublica cannot be overestimated.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:24 PM on April 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


Jennifer Higdon is an amazing composer - that is a Pulitzer well deserved. Also, that photo in the Des Moines Register is pretty incredible.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:25 PM on April 12, 2010


Crikey. At this late date, journalists are still making careers from tainted meat.
posted by notyou at 1:27 PM on April 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


The piece that won for Feature Writing, about kids tragically left in cars, was extensively discussed here. It also contains a couple of the most terrifying, agonizing, emotionally charged and intense images I have ever read about, heard or imagined in my life; having read it I rarely go a week without thinking about it in one way or another. The prize could not be more richly deserved.
posted by penduluum at 1:29 PM on April 12, 2010 [16 favorites]


Just wanted to say thanks so much for this excellent and comprehensive post. As usual, I feel guilty that I've read very little of what won, but this time at least I can start making up for that.
posted by bearwife at 1:31 PM on April 12, 2010


HANK WILLIAMS AT LONG LAST.

Justice is served.
posted by COBRA! at 1:32 PM on April 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


Great post - thank you.
posted by rtha at 1:44 PM on April 12, 2010


And yet James O'Keefe is absent...

HURF DURF LIBERAL MEDIA
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:45 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Holy Shit! Kudos to my hometown newspaper The Bristol Herald Courier!
posted by kimdog at 1:47 PM on April 12, 2010


Weingarten won again? Impressive!
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:50 PM on April 12, 2010


Who does Jerry Saltz have to fuck/kill/blackmail to get him one of these--seriously the best critical writer in America and gets over looked yearly.
posted by PinkMoose at 1:51 PM on April 12, 2010


That story about parents who left their children in cars took my breath away. I cried and cried as I read it. So well deserved.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 1:53 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I highly recommend Sheri Fink's piece on the hospital in New Orleans after Katrina. MeFi thread.

MetaFilter: Relentless reporting on contaminated hamburger
posted by lukemeister at 1:55 PM on April 12, 2010


Oh wow, Rae Armantrout! Pretty cool for once.
posted by ifjuly at 1:57 PM on April 12, 2010


It would be so much cooler if the guy IN the photo got the ten grand.
posted by sageleaf at 1:59 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Ron Silliman will be accepting the prize for Armantrout.
posted by chymes at 2:01 PM on April 12, 2010


BTW, WalterMitty, thanks for going to all the work of linking the winners, which the Pulitzer website doesn't bother to do, for some reason...
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 2:01 PM on April 12, 2010


*is thrilled for Next to Normal on their Drama win!*
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:01 PM on April 12, 2010


Poetry - Versed by Rae Armantrout

Rae,
if you're
so taken with
Kay Ryan
you're mistaking
line
for sudden
braking,
stop.
posted by kid ichorous at 2:11 PM on April 12, 2010


I saw the NYT article, which was handy (it had the links) but felt incoherent in its organisation, and then the Pulitzer site, which wasn't very helpful (citations, but no links), so I figured I'd draw them together.

I really do want to get my hands on a copy of The First Tycoon and The Dead Hand, but the paperback versions won't be out for 2 months and 6 months respectively. Poop. Dead Hand in particular seems to be really good and the Cold War's something I'm personally interested in.
posted by WalterMitty at 2:12 PM on April 12, 2010


Disclaimer: I like Kay Ryan, I sorta like Armantrout
posted by kid ichorous at 2:14 PM on April 12, 2010


Fatal Distraction might have affected me more than any article I've ever read. Amazingly nuanced and heartbreaking journalism. I'm so glad its author won.
posted by changeling at 2:19 PM on April 12, 2010


Damn you, Pulitzers, for reminding me of that Weingarten article.
posted by chinston at 2:30 PM on April 12, 2010 [3 favorites]


Oh fuck I just read the Weingarten article for the first time. Pulitzer deserved....but fucking hell.
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:35 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


The Pulitzer for national reporting for a series revealing that... driving while talking on the phone or using your laptop = bad idea? really?

I mean, yeah, but... there wasn't anything more unexpected that was covered anywhere?
posted by longsleeves at 2:42 PM on April 12, 2010


I'm excited to see a Milwaukee journalist on there (woot hometown!), but since it's for a depressing piece...maybe I could without my hometown writers getting awards?
posted by bibbit at 2:44 PM on April 12, 2010


My very first thought after reading the Weingarten article last year was: This is a lock for a Pulitzer. My second thought was, I should post this on MeFi.

It wound up getting 296 comments for the main article, then jokeefe started a related thread over on MeTa, where it got 298 more.

Congrats to Mr. Weingarten, especially for getting two Pulitzers in a row.
posted by Ike_Arumba at 2:47 PM on April 12, 2010


I heard next year they are totally giving the award for Best Dead Musician to Kay Kyser.
posted by briank at 2:49 PM on April 12, 2010


Kathleen Parker? Seriously?
posted by NoraReed at 2:51 PM on April 12, 2010 [7 favorites]


Kathleen Parker? Seriously?
posted by NoraReed at 2:51 PM on April 12


I was just about to comment this! What a joke. Tell us about how the health care bill expands public funding for abortion, Kathleen. This is just embarrassing.
posted by Ron Thanagar at 3:04 PM on April 12, 2010


Oh Nora, who here hasn't used a national column to shill for their buddy's unsourced lie-filled book (with anecdotes from fake people)?
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:06 PM on April 12, 2010


It's not a journalism award if a rich white or asian lady doesn't win one for making shit up

sandra tsing loh it's your turn soon !!!!!
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:08 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


That fatal attraction piece has been in my nightmares ever since I read it (here, thanks for the post Ike_Arumba). I was even talking about it earlier today with my neighbor, it never left my mind.
posted by dabitch at 3:18 PM on April 12, 2010


Here's another of Kathleen Parker's "perceptive, often witty columns" detailing why Obama won't win the election because he doesn't have enough "blood equity" in America.
posted by dirigibleman at 3:18 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


attraction? No, I mean distraction. I was distracted by tear, and those came only from looking at the images with that article again.
posted by dabitch at 3:19 PM on April 12, 2010


Next to Normal is one of the most embarassing bags of schlock I've ever had to work on or near. I'm both shocked AND appalled.
posted by nevercalm at 3:21 PM on April 12, 2010


Tinkers by Paul Harding. Who what? He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page, other than a note saying he was drummer for Cold Water Flat, a one-album grunge band from the early 90s.
posted by stbalbach at 3:37 PM on April 12, 2010


l33tpolicywonk: The importance of awarding a Pulitzer to ProPublica cannot be overestimated.

Damn straight! For those who don't know ProPublica is " an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest."
posted by Kattullus at 4:54 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


If the Enquirer had done exactly the same thing, except to someone like Mitt Romney, they'd have won.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:11 PM on April 12, 2010


Tinker was the first novel since A Confederacy of Dunces in 1981 to come from a small publisher and win the Pulitzer.
posted by stbalbach at 5:20 PM on April 12, 2010


Chocolate Pickle: "If the Enquirer had done exactly the same thing, except to someone like Mitt Romney, they'd have won."

If it had been anyone *other* than the National Enquirer, they would have won. This was political only in the sense that the Pulitzers probably don't want to be affiliated with a trashy magazine generally focused on mostly fake celebrity gossip.
posted by graventy at 7:01 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Next to Normal is one of the most embarassing bags of schlock I've ever had to work on or near. I'm both shocked AND appalled.

One of the drama jurists explain that the Pulitzer committee overruled their advice in this category.
posted by crossoverman at 7:25 PM on April 12, 2010


Kathleen Parker? Seriously? (Oh, sorry, should have read the other posts here first. etc.)
posted by newdaddy at 8:00 PM on April 12, 2010


It would be so much cooler if the guy IN the photo got the ten grand.

Why?
posted by msbrauer at 10:16 PM on April 12, 2010


I used to work with Daniel Gilbert and we made fun of his naivety quite a bit. But it was totally out of love and admiration (in that cruel newsroom kind of way). He was always a great writer and someone who actually cared deeply about being a journalist and sought out stories.

He left us to go try to get kidnapped in Mexico (kidding!) and I was surprised when I found out he was in Bristol.

It's a well-deserved award for him. Part of me is delighted in that "I know him! I know him!" but on the other hand, I'm almost not surprised. I think it was sort of inevitable, in a way, and I'm not at all surprised it was in the public service category.
posted by darksong at 11:03 PM on April 12, 2010


The Dallas Morning News??? For editorial writing???

Huh. I should pay more attention when I go home.
posted by MadamM at 11:43 PM on April 12, 2010


Weingarten should get a fucking Congressional Medal of Honor for that article.

Just thinking about reading it months ago makes my eyeballs hurt.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:52 PM on April 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


dont leave dogs in cars. dont leave kids in cars. Idiots.
posted by monkeyJuice at 2:48 AM on April 13, 2010


Please let's not have that argument again. Like gottabefunky just thinking about Weingarten's article has me emotionally roiled.
posted by Kattullus at 3:01 AM on April 13, 2010


Yes indeed, thank you Pulitzer committee: Mr. Hank Williams, a dirt poor boy from outta the woods of Alabama, who just happened to become one of the very finest poets America has ever produced, deserves this posthumous honor. Deserves it big time. I've always been proud to say I'm from the same state as Hank, and I'm even prouder today.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:08 AM on April 13, 2010


And yet nothing for the ACORN pimp. Harrumph!!
posted by LordSludge at 7:51 AM on April 13, 2010


I shook Gene Weingarten's hand this morning! I've seen him on my daily walk to or from work for years, but have never had anything important to say to him, so I've left him alone. Today, he was walking his dog, and I gave him a brief "Mr. Weingarten, congratulations." He offered a hand shake, and invited me to come in and have a beer with him and his BFF Dave Barry.

OK, that last part isn't true, but the rest is.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:27 AM on April 13, 2010 [2 favorites]


I hope that Weingarten is all "OMG I just shook MrMoonPie's hand! The dude who's been gay-marrying all those gay people! I'm gonna go write a column about him!"

Because he totally should.
posted by rtha at 8:50 AM on April 13, 2010


At first, I was annoyed that the NY Times felt that they had to send a breaking news email alert that they won three Pulitzers. Then I laughed when the alert also mentioned that the Washington Post won four.
posted by educatedslacker at 9:27 AM on April 13, 2010


Hrm. I wonder where all the people decrying print media as a dinosaur, soon to be overtaken by all that *awesome* journalism from blogs, are?
posted by Amanojaku at 12:07 PM on April 13, 2010


I really enjoyed _Lords of Finance_. Didn't think I would, but, dang, that is worth running to your library to borrow. The invisible hand of the free market belongs to a crazy old white man banker.
posted by QIbHom at 12:55 PM on April 13, 2010


Hrm. I wonder where all the people decrying print media as a dinosaur, soon to be overtaken by all that *awesome* journalism from blogs, are?
posted by Amanojaku at 12:07 PM on April 13


I'll take WikiLeaks over Kathleen Parker any day, thanks.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:17 PM on April 13, 2010




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