Journalists and their news organizations are spotlighted with the announcement of the Pulitzer Prizes. These awards honor outstanding work and a commitment to reporting on significant issues of public importance. The awards also speak to the value of journalism in our society.
The
newest member of the Pulitzer Board is Paul Tash, editor of Poynter's
St. Petersburg Times and CEO of the Times Publishing Company. He responded to questions about the impact of these awards by e-mail Monday from Bob Steele, who is Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values.
Bob Steele: You've been a Pulitzer juror in the past, responsible for judging in a specific category. This year was your first as a member of the Pulitzer Board, with the responsibility of examining the finalists in all the categories. What impressions did you take away from this experience?
Paul Tash: My favorite part of being a juror was the conversation, typically on Wednesday morning, when most of the entries had been eliminated and we were down to serious consideration of the very best work. Being on the board multiplies that experience across all the categories, both in journalism and literature.
I'm reminded that it is incredibly hard to win a Pulitzer Prize. There is some extraordinary work among the other finalists, and presumably among some entries that didn't make the juries' final cut. I'm also reminded that the best work involves not just reporting, writing and photography, but seeing -- recognizing a good idea or opportunity to do something way beyond the routine.
Given the role of the Pulitzers in honoring remarkable journalism that serves citizens and communities, do you believe the public truly appreciates this exceptional journalism?
It's hard to say. I find myself wondering whether there is as big a difference between the popular tastes and the professional tastes in journalism as there is
in the music category of the Pulitzer Prize. At minimum, there is probably more we can all do to keep stories within a length that an interested, intelligent reader can consume in a single sitting.
But on the main point, this array of excellent work reinforces just how much the public depends on enterprising journalism to reveal what the government is really doing and how things really work. If you go through this year's Pulitzer finalists, you could compile quite a long list of important things we wouldn't know if it weren't for newspapers. If Americans quit caring about that kind of work, it's not only newspapers that will be in deep trouble.
Newspapers are buffeted from all sides these days. Decisions by government officials and the courts have eroded the First Amendment protections of the news media. Many critics say journalists are biased and unfair. The business side of newspapers is under great pressure for a range of reasons. To what degree does shining the light of honor through the Pulitzer Prizes make a difference? Can the Pulitzers help build credibility? Do the Pulitzers send any meaningful message to Wall Street analysts and investors?
I couldn't begin to predict what conclusion analysts and investors might draw, and
because of our ownership, I don't have to try. I also doubt that most readers pay close attention to the prizes, unless their newspaper, or a book they've read, happens to win one.
That said, I think the Pulitzer Prizes hold aloft some superlative work that 1) helps set the highest standards of our craft and 2) reminds the rest of us that we have the chance to reach for those high standards every day we come to work. That is a huge service to journalism, and by extension, to the citizens and democracy it serves.
