Gulf Coast papers win Pulitzer Prizes

updated 3:47 p.m. ET April 17, 2006

NEW YORK - The Times-Picayune of New Orleans and The Sun Herald of Gulfport, Miss., each won the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for their dauntless coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

The Times-Picayune also won the Pulitzer in breaking news reporting for its Katrina coverage.

The Washington Post won four awards in all, followed by The New York Times, with three. The Rocky Mountain News, like The Times-Picayune, won two.

“We never missed a day of publication and that’s a testament to everybody in this room,” said Ricky Mathews, The Sun Herald’s president and publisher. “We will arise from this terrible situation,” he added. “I think our best journalism is still ahead of us.”

Executive Editor Stan Tiner dedicated the Pulitzer to the residents of southern Mississippi “whose magnificent hearts and spirit moved us every day that we have been privileged to tell the story of their struggle and triumphs.”

“They will not be defeated — not by Katrina nor anything,” he added.

Because The Sun Herald is a “nonalcohol zone” paper, the staff planned to toast the prize with sweet tea and cookies instead of champagne.

Susan Schmidt, James V. Grimaldi and R. Jeffrey Smith of the Post received the award for investigative reporting for their stories on the Jack Abramoff scandal.

David Finkel of the Post won the prize for explanatory reporting for writing about the U.S. government’s attempt to bring democracy to Yemen. The Post’s Dana Priest was honored in the beat reporting category for stories on secret prisons and the government’s counterterrorism campaign.

James Risen and Eric Lichtblau of the Times and the staffs of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service won the award for national reporting — The Times for stories on the Bush administration’s domestic eavesdropping, the Union-Tribune and Copley for disclosing the bribe-taking that sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison in disgrace.

Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley of the Times won the award for international reporting for coverage of China’s legal system.

Jim Sheeler of the Rocky Mountain News was honored for feature writing for his story on a Marine major who helps families of comrades killed in Iraq cope with their loss.

Commentary, criticism editorial awards
The Pulitzer for commentary went to Nicholas D. Kristof of the Times.

Robin Givhan of the Post received the Pulitzer for criticism for her fashion coverage.

Rick Attig and Doug Bates of The Oregonian of Portland, Ore., won the award for editorial writing for writing on abuse inside a mental hospital.

The prize for editorial cartooning went to Mike Luckovich of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Dallas Morning News won the prize in breaking news photography for its coverage of Katrina.

Todd Heisler of the Rocky Mountain News received the prize for feature photography for behind-the-scenes funeral coverage of Marines from Colorado.

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