The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting is a Pulitzer Prize awarded for a distinguished example of breaking news, local reporting on news of the moment. It has been awarded since 1953 under several names:[citation needed]
From 1953 to 1963: Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time
From 1964 to 1984: Pulitzer Prize for Local General or Spot News Reporting
From 1985 to 1990: Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting
From 1991 to 1997: Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting
From 1998 to present: Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting
Prior to 1953, a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting combined both breaking and investigative reporting under one category. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.
Hitherto confined to local coverage, the Breaking News Reporting category was expanded to encompass state and national reporting in 2017.[1]
List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time
1953: Editorial Staff of Providence (RI) Journal and Evening Bulletin, "for their spontaneous and cooperative coverage of a bank robbery and police chase leading to the capture of the bandit."[2]
1954: Staff of Vicksburg (MS) Sunday Post-Herald, "for its outstanding coverage of the tornado of December 5, 1953, under extraordinary difficulties."[3]
1955:Caro Brown, Alice (TX) Daily Echo, "for a series of news stories dealing with the successful attack on one-man political rule in neighboring Duval County, written under unusual pressure both of edition time and difficult, even dangerous, circumstances. Mrs. Brown dug into the facts behind the dramatic daily events, as well, and obtained her stories in spite of the bitterest political opposition, showing professional skill and courage."[4]
1958: Staff of Fargo (ND) Forum, (ND)"for its swift, vivid and detailed news and picture coverage of a tornado which struck Fargo on June 20."[7]
1959:Mary Lou Werner, The Evening Star, (Washington DC) "for her comprehensive year-long coverage of the integration crisis in Virginia which demonstrated admirable qualities of accuracy, speed and the ability to interpret the news under deadline pressure in the course of a difficult and taxing assignment"
1965:Melvin H. RuderHungry Horse News, a weekly in Columbia Falls, MT, "for his daring and resourceful coverage of a disastrous flood that threatened his community, an individual effort in the finest tradition of spot news reporting."
1967: Robert V. Cox Chambersburg (PA) Public Opinion, "for his vivid deadline reporting of a mountain manhunt that ended with the killing of a deranged sniper who had terrorized the community."
1968: Staff Detroit Free Press, "for its coverage of the Detroit riots of 1967, recognizing both the brilliance of its detailed spot news staff work and its swift and accurate investigation into the underlying causes of the tragedy."
1976:Gene MillerMiami Herald, "for his persistent and courageous reporting over eight and one-half years that led to the exoneration and release of two men who had twice been tried for murder and wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in Florida."
1978:Richard WhittLouisville Courier-Journal, "for his coverage of a fire that took 164 lives at the Beverly Hills Supper Club at Southgate, Ky., and subsequent investigation of the lack of enforcement of state fire codes."
1983: Editorial Staff Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel, "for its courageous and resourceful coverage of a devastating flood in March 1982."
1984: Newsday team of reporters Newsday, Long Island, NY, "for their enterprising and comprehensive coverage of the Baby Jane Doe case and its far-reaching social and political implications."
List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting
1988: Staff of Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, "for an investigation that revealed serious flaws in the Massachusetts prison furlough system and led to significant statewide reforms."
1989: Staff of Louisville Courier-Journal, "for its exemplary initial coverage of a bus crash that claimed 27 lives and its subsequent thorough and effective examination of the causes and implications of the tragedy."
1993: Staff of the Los Angeles Times, "for comprehensive, penetrating coverage under deadline pressure of the second, most destructive day of the Los Angeles riots."
2005: Staff of the Star-Ledger, "for its comprehensive, clear-headed coverage of the resignation of New Jersey'sgovernor after he announced he was gay and confessed to adultery with a male lover."
2006: Staff of the Times-Picayune, "for its courageous and aggressive coverage of Hurricane Katrina, overcoming desperate conditions facing the city and the newspaper."
2009: Staff of The New York Times, "for its swift and sweeping coverage of a prostitution scandal that resulted in the resignation of Gov.Eliot Spitzer, breaking the story on its Web site and then developing it with authoritative, rapid-fire reports."
2012: Staff of The Tuscaloosa News, "for its enterprising coverage of a deadly tornado, using social media as well as traditional reporting to provide real-time updates, help locate missing people and produce in-depth print accounts even after power disruption forced the paper to publish at another plant 50 miles away."
2014:The Boston Globe staff "for its exhaustive and empathetic coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing and the ensuing manhunt that enveloped the city, using photography and a range of digital tools to capture the full impact of the tragedy."[11]
2017: Staff of East Bay Times, Oakland, CA "For relentless coverage of the “Ghost Ship” fire, which killed 36 people at a warehouse party, and for reporting after the tragedy that exposed the city's failure to take actions that might have prevented it."[13]
2018: Staff of The Press Democrat,Santa Rosa, CA "for lucid and tenacious coverage of historic wildfires that ravaged the city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, expertly utilizing an array of tools, including photography, video and social media platforms, to bring clarity to its readers — in real time and in subsequent in-depth reporting."[14]
2020: Staff of The Courier-Journal,Louisville, KY "for its rapid coverage of hundreds of last-minute pardons by Kentucky’s governor, showing how the process was marked by opacity, racial disparities and violations of legal norms." (Moved by the jury from Local Reporting, where it was originally entered.)
2024: Staff of Lookout Santa Cruz, "for its detailed and nimble community-focused coverage, over a holiday weekend, of catastrophic flooding and mudslides that displaced thousands of California residents and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses."[19]
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