Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting

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:

• 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.

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time

See also: Local Reporting, No Edition Time

Year	Name(s)	Publication	Rationale
1953	Staff	The Providence Journal	"for their spontaneous and cooperative coverage of a bank robbery and police chase leading to the capture of the bandit."
1954	Staff	Vicksburg Post-Herald	"for its outstanding coverage of the tornado of December 5, 1953, under extraordinary difficulties."
1955	Caro Brown	Alice 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."
1956	Lee Hills	Detroit Free Press	"for his aggressive, resourceful and comprehensive front page reporting of the United Automobile Workers' negotiations with Ford and General Motors for a guaranteed annual wage."
1957	Staff	The Salt Lake Tribune	"for its prompt and efficient coverage of the crash of two air liners over the Grand Canyon, in which 128 persons were killed."
1958	Staff	Fargo Forum	"for its swift, vivid and detailed news and picture coverage of a tornado which struck Fargo on June 20."
1959	Mary Lou Forbes	The Washington Star	"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."
1960	Jack Nelson	The Atlanta Constitution	"for his reporting of abuses at the Milledgeville Central State Mental Hospital."
1961	Ted Morgan	New York Herald Tribune	"for his moving account of the death of Leonard Warren on the Metropolitan Opera stage."
1962	Robert D. Mullins	Deseret News	"for his resourceful coverage of a murder and kidnapping at Dead Horse Point, Utah."
1963	Sylvan Fox	New York World-Telegram	"for their reporting of an air crash in Jamaica Bay, killing 95 persons on March 1, 1962."
	William Longgood
	Anthony Shannon

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Local General or Spot News Reporting

Year	Name(s)	Publication	Rationale
1964	Norman C. Miller	The Wall Street Journal	"for his comprehensive account of a multi-million dollar vegetable oil swindle in New Jersey."
1965	Mel Ruder	Hungry Horse News	"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."
1966	Staff	Los Angeles Times	"for its coverage of the Watts riots."
1967	Robert V. Cox	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."
1969	John Fetterman	The Louisville Times	"for his article, 'Pfc. Gibson Comes Home,' the story of an American soldier whose body was returned to his native town from Vietnam for burial."
		Courier Journal
1970	Thomas Fitzpatrick	Chicago Sun-Times	"for his article about the violence of youthful radicals in Chicago, 'A Wild Night's Ride with SDS.'"
1971	Staff	Akron Beacon Journal	"for its coverage of the Kent State University tragedy on May 4, 1970."
1972	Richard Cooper	Rochester Times-Union	"for their coverage of the Attica, New York prison riot."
	John Machacek
1973	Staff	Chicago Tribune	"for uncovering flagrant violations of voting procedures in the primary election of March 21, 1972."
1974	Hugh Hough	Chicago Sun-Times	"for uncovering new evidence that led to the reopening of efforts to solve the 1966 murder of Valerie Percy."
	Art Petacque
1975	Staff	Xenia Daily Gazette	"for its coverage, under enormous difficulties, of the tornado that wrecked the city on April 3, 1974."
1976	Gene Miller	Miami 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."
1977	Margo Huston	Milwaukee Journal Sentinel	"for her reports on the elderly and the process of aging."
1978	Richard Whitt	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."
1979	Staff	San Diego Evening Tribune	"for its coverage of the collision of a Pacific Southwest air liner with a small plane over its city."
1980	Staff	The Philadelphia Inquirer	"for coverage of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island."
	Staff	Chicago Tribune	"for coverage of the worst air crash in history and the blizzard of 1979."
	Staff	Greensboro Daily News	"for coverage of a shootout of the Ku Klux Klan."
1981	Staff	The Daily News	"for its coverage of the Mt. St. Helens story, including the photographs by Roger A. Werth."
	Staff	Baltimore News-American	"for 'The Snowball Tragedy,' a story of the gap between the young and the elderly."
	Staff	Miami Herald	"for 'Three Days of Rage: The Miami Riots.'"
1982	Staff	The Kansas City Star	"for coverage of the Hyatt Regency Hotel disaster and identification of its causes."
	Staff	Kansas City Times
	Lucy Morgan	St. Petersburg Times	"for her series on drug smuggling in Dixie County, Florida.'"
	Ken Wells	Miami Herald	"for his series on Florida's water problems."
	Staff	Courier Journal	"for its coverage of an explosion in the Louisville sewer system.'"
1983	Staff	The News-Sentinel	"for its courageous and resourceful coverage of a devastating flood in March 1982."
	Staff	The Dallas Morning News	"for its coverage and analysis of the financial collapse of Braniff International Airlines.'"
	Staff	Democrat and Chronicle	"for its coverage of an accident at Ginna nuclear power plant that helped to avert public panic.'"
1984	Staff	Newsday	"for their enterprising and comprehensive coverage of the Baby Jane Doe case and its far-reaching social and political implications."
	Leslie A. Scism	Bucks County Courier Times	"for her investigation of Anna Catherina Emmerick Academy, which linked the religious school's activities to right-wing extremist groups and revealed that it housed weaponry and explosives.'"
	Staff	The Fresno Bee	"for its coverage, under extreme deadline pressure, of the Coalinga earthquake of May 2, 1983.'"

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting

Year	Name(s)	Publication	Rationale
1985	Thomas Turcol	The Virginian-Pilot	"for City Hall coverage which exposed the corruption of a local economic development official."
	Jonathan Kaufman	The Boston Globe	"for his series on neighborhood activism in Boston.'"
	Staff	Independent Record	"for its coverage, under deadline pressure, of the worst forest fire in Helena's history.'"
1986	Edna Buchanan	Miami Herald	"for her versatile and consistently excellent police beat reporting."
	Staff	The Dallas Morning News	"for its comprehensive and compelling coverage, under deadline pressure, of the crash of Delta Flight 191 on August 2, 1985.'"
	Staff	The Philadelphia Inquirer	"for its coverage, under deadline pressure, of the MOVE siege and its tragic aftermath.'"
1987	Staff	Akron Beacon Journal	"for its coverage, under deadline pressure, of the attempted takeover of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. by a European financier."
	John Woestendiek	The Philadelphia Inquirer	"for outstanding prison beat reporting, which included proving the innocence of a man convicted of murder.'"
	Staff	The Orange County Register	"for its comprehensive coverage of the Cerritos air disaster, a midair collision of a jetliner and a private plane on August 31, 1986.'"
1988	Staff	Alabama Journal	"for its compelling investigation of the state's unusually high infant mortality rate, which prompted legislation to combat the problem."
	Staff	The Eagle-Tribune	"for an investigation that revealed serious flaws in the Massachusetts prison furlough system and led to significant statewide reforms."
	Sam Stanton	The Arizona Republic	"for his reporting on Governor Evan Mecham's turbulent first year in office.'"
	Staff	The Atlanta Journal-Constitution	"for sustained coverage of an 11-day riot by Cuban inmates at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.'"
	Staff	The Charlotte Observer	"for revealing misuse of funds by the PTL television ministry through persistent coverage conducted in the face of a massive campaign by PTL to discredit the newspaper.'"
1989	Staff	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."
	Nancy Badertscher	Gwinnett Daily News	"for persistent reporting that revealed expense account abuses by members of the local County Board of Commissioners.'"
	Lisa Getter	Miami Herald	"for their investigation of financial wrongdoing by a popular county manager, reporting which was conducted in the face of strong local opposition and which ultimately led to the official's resignation.'"
	Justin Gillis
	Staff	Billings Gazette	"for coverage of the fires in Yellowstone National Park.'"
1990	Staff	The Mercury News	"for its detailed coverage of the October 17, 1989, Bay Area earthquake and its aftermath."
	Staff	The Roanoke Times	"for its thorough and balanced coverage of a statewide strike by the United Mine Workers against the Pittston Coal Group.'"
	Staff	The State	"for its extensive and compelling coverage of the devastation caused by Hurricane Hugo.'"

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting

Year	Name(s)	Publication	Rationale
1991	Staff	Miami Herald	"for stories profiling a local cult leader, his followers, and their links to several area murders."
	Staff	Newsday	"for detailed coverage of a Bronx social club fire that was caused by arson and claimed 87 lives.'"
	Staff	The Detroit News	"for his series on neighborhood activism in Boston.'"
1992	Staff	Newsday	"for its comprehensive coverage of the collision of two jets at the city's Metropolitan Airport."
	Staff	The Philadelphia Inquirer	"for its coverage of a helicopter crash in a local schoolyard that killed U.S. Senator John Heinz and six others.'"
	Staff	Vineyard Gazette	"for its coverage of the destruction to the island community of Martha's Vineyard by Hurricane Bob.'"
1993	Staff	Los Angeles Times	"for comprehensive, penetrating coverage under deadline pressure of the second, most destructive day of the Los Angeles riots."
	Staff	Miami Herald	"for its sensitive reporting of the failed legal battle fought by parents of a child born without a brain to donate the child's organs before her death.'"
	Staff	The Spokesman-Review	"for detailed, often exclusive reporting of an 11-day clash in Northern Idaho between an armed white separatist and 300 law enforcement officers.'"
1994	Staff	The New York Times	"for its comprehensive coverage of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing."
	Robert D. McFadden	The New York Times	"for his consistently impressive work during the year, much of it on deadline.'"
	Staff	Los Angeles Times	"for its richly detailed coverage of the first day of fires that ravaged Southern California.'"
1995	Staff	Los Angeles Times	"for its reporting on January 17, 1994, of the chaos and devastation in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake."
	Staff	Rocky Mountain News	"for its coverage of a deadly wildfire that killed 14 firefighters, the worst disaster of its kind in Colorado's history."
	Staff	The New York Times	"for its coverage of the city's police department as it was rocked by charges of corruption in a Harlem precinct.'"
1996	Robert D. McFadden	The New York Times	"for his highly skilled writing and reporting on deadline during the year."
	Staff	Los Angeles Times	"for its coverage of the local and global impact of the purchase of Capital Cities/ABC Inc. by the Walt Disney Company.'"
	Staff	The Eagle-Tribune	"for its coverage of a fire that leveled a local textile factory, the city's largest employer, and its devastating effects on the community.'"
1997	Staff	Newsday	"for its enterprising coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800 and its aftermath."
	Staff	The Philadelphia Inquirer	"for its powerful narrative coverage of the armed confrontation between police and philanthropist John du Pont following a murder at his estate.'"
	Staff	St. Petersburg Times	"for its thorough and balanced reporting of the circumstances surrounding the shooting of a young black man by a white police officer and the rioting that followed.'"

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting

• 1998: The Los Angeles Times staff, "for its coverage of a botched bank robbery, which led to a shootout with the police in North Hollywood."
• 1999: The Hartford Courant staff, "for its coverage of a shooting spree by a state lottery worker that left five dead."
• 2000: The Denver Post staff, "for its coverage of the Columbine High School massacre."
• 2001: The Miami Herald staff, "for its coverage of the seizure of Elián González by federal agents."
• 2002: The Wall Street Journal staff, "for its coverage of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center."
• 2003: The Eagle-Tribune staff, "for its stories on the accidental drowning of four boys in the Merrimack River."
• 2004: Staff of the Los Angeles Times, "for its compelling and comprehensive coverage of the massive wildfires that imperiled a populated region of southern California."
• 2005: Staff of the Star-Ledger, "for its comprehensive, clear-headed coverage of the resignation of New Jersey's governor 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."
• 2007: Staff of The Oregonian, "for its skillful and tenacious coverage of a family missing in the Oregon mountains, telling the tragic story both in print and online."
• 2008: Staff of The Washington Post, "for its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, telling the developing story in print and online."
• 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."
• 2010: Staff of The Seattle Times, "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."
• 2011: No award
• 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."
• 2013: The Denver Post for coverage of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting
• 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."
• 2015: The Seattle Times staff, "for its digital account of a landslide that killed 43 people and the impressive follow-up reporting that explored whether the calamity could have been avoided."
• 2016: The Los Angeles Times, "For exceptional reporting, including both local and global perspectives, on the shooting in San Bernardino and the terror investigation that followed."
• 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."
• 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."
• 2019: Staff of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, for "immersive, compassionate coverage of the massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue that captured the anguish and resilience of a community thrust into grief."
• 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.)
• 2021: Staff of The Star Tribune newspaper based in Minneapolis for its coverage of the murder of George Floyd and the resulting protests in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
• 2022: Staff of the Miami Herald, for reporting on the Surfside condominium collapse.
• 2023: Staff of the Los Angeles Times, for coverage of the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal and its aftermath.
• 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."

References

• Pulitzer.org Winners and Finalists – Local Reporting; Edition Time (1953–1963)
• Pulitzer.org Winners and Finalists – Local General or Spot News Reporting (1964–1984)
• Pulitzer.org Winners and Finalists – General News Reporting (1985–1990)
• Pulitzer.org Winners and Finalists – Spot News Reporting (1991–1997)
• Pulitzer.org Winners and Finalists – Breaking News Reporting (1998–present)