States Newsroom — Pulitzer Prize Winners and Nominees
In recognition of the upcoming Pulitzer Prize award winners’ announcement ceremony, we at States Newsroom want to recognize a few of the many talented journalists who work in our newsrooms around the country and have received the highest praise for their outstanding work.
While this year’s Pulitzer season will be different because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded now more than ever of the critical work journalists do on the frontlines to make sure the public is informed.
As we eagerly await this year’s announcement ceremony on May 4 via live stream, States Newsroom is proud to highlight the following Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists working in our newsrooms:
Lucy Morgan, Columnist, Florida Phoenix
Lucy Morgan is an institution in Florida and an especially towering figure in journalism as a longtime reporter and editor for the St. Petersburg Times (which later changed its name to the Tampa Bay Times). In 1985 Morgan became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting along with her reporting partner Jack Reed for their coverage of the corruption in the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. She was also a finalist for the Pulitzer in 1982 for her investigation of drug trafficking in north-central Florida. In 2005 the Florida State Senate renamed the press gallery in her honor and in 2006 she was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.
Jarvis DeBerry, Editor, [Louisiana Outlet]
Jarvis DeBerry worked for over 20 years as the deputy opinion editor for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate where he and the newspaper staff were awarded the Public Service award in 2006 Pulitzer for their multifaceted coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Described as a “Powerhouse Voice” for the Picayune, DeBerry became nationally recognized when he penned an Open Letter to then-President Bush demanding much-needed federal aid to the city. The letter was a part of a series of pieces that outed the government’s slow response to the hurricane and its sluggish effort to rebuild New Orleans after the city was devastated by the hurricane. Since then DeBerry has received several first-place prizes for his column writing by the Louisiana/Mississippi Associated Press Managing Editors Association and in 2016 he won the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence Award in commentary.
Melissa Boughton, Reporter, NC Policy Watch
Before becoming the Courts, Law and Democracy reporter for NC Policy Watch, Boughton reported for several newspapers across multiple states including The North Texas Daily, Virginia’s The Winchester Star, and Charleston, South Carolina’s The Post and Courier. Boughton’s time at The Post and Courier was particularly impressive as she was a part of the reporting team that won the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news reporting for their coverage of Walter Scott’s death. Their breakneck reporting of the shooting and its aftermath led to the conviction of Slager and further exposed the racial injustices of the country’s criminal justice system.
Elliot Jaspin, Contributor, Maryland Matters
Elliot Jaspin is a 40-year veteran journalist who won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for his series for the Republican & Herald. exposing how the Blue Coal Company was run into the ground by men with ties to organized crime in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. His career has taken him to several newspapers across many states including Maine, Rhode Island and Washington D.C. Jaspin is still active in investigative reporting having recently written a multi-part series exposing the childhood hunger in Maryland for Maryland Matters. Along with his journalism career, he founded The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, authored the book Buried In The Bitter Waters: The Hidden History Of Racial Cleansing In America and was honored in 1993 for his digital work by the National Press Foundation.
Laura Gómez Rodriguez, Reporter, Arizona Mirror
Before working for the Arizona Mirror, Laura Gómez Rodriguez reported on immigration, city government, and politics for The Arizona Republic and its Spanish language publication La Voz Arizona. Gomez and her team won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for their comprehensive series documenting the scope and the impact of the Trump Administration’s policies on the border in a series named The Wall. Gomez has received a number of other accolades including being named “Best Investigative Reporter” by Phoenix Magazine in 2018 and being honored with a first-place prize in “Community education reporting” by the Arizona Press Club.
Clark Kauffman, Deputy Editor, Iowa Capital Dispatch
Clark Kauffman is an Iowa native and a 30-year veteran reporter, writing and reporting for Iowa’s largest newspapers the De Moines Register and the Quad-City Times. In 2005 Kauffman was a finalist for the Pulitzer in Investigative Reporting for his series exposing the mishandling of traffic tickets by public officials. His track record of holding government accountable continued from 2018 to 2019 as an assistant ombudsman for the Iowa Office of Ombudsman, an independent agency that investigates citizens’ complaints about the government’s malpractices and negligence. Kauffman has continued his work as an accomplished and esteemed watchdog journalist exposing the abuses of Iowa’s government for the Iowa Capital Dispatch as Deputy Editor.
Steve Benson, Cartoonist, Arizona Mirror
Since starting his career as a cartoonist for the Arizona Republic in 1980, Benson was a finalist for the Pulitzer multiple times in 1984, 1989, 1992, and 1994 and was the winner of the 1993 Pulitzer in Editorial Cartooning. Known for his strong artistic voice he is still, thankfully, continuing his art for the Arizona Mirror.
These journalists and the work they continue to produce are the reason why States Newsroom was founded. We are so proud of the journalists that are a part of our outlets and we are grateful for the dedication and fortitude of all journalists in newsrooms across the country as they work tirelessly to bring us the information we need and hold the powers that be accountable.
