The 2013 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, with comments from judges:
JOURNALISM
Public Service: The Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for its well documented investigation of off-duty police officers who recklessly speed and endanger the lives of citizens, leading to disciplinary action and other steps to curtail a deadly hazard. Finalists: California Watch, founded by the Center for Investigative Reporting, Berkeley, Calif., for its exposure of how a state-run police force failed to protect patients in homes for the developmentally disabled who had been beaten, tortured and raped, resulting in new laws and other remedial action, and The Washington Post for its exploration of flawed evidence in a series of criminal cases prosecuted by the Justice Department that was never disclosed to defendants, causing a review of more than 20,000 cases and other corrective steps.
Breaking news reporting: The Denver Post Staff for its comprehensive coverage of the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 and injured 58, using journalistic tools, from Twitter and Facebook to video and written reports, both to capture a breaking story and provide context. Finalists: The Denver Post Staff for its vivid coverage of a wildfire that destroyed more than 300 homes, combining on-the-ground reporting with imaginative use of digital tools, including a before-and-after interactive feature that helped displaced fire victims determine the fate of their homes before there was official notification, and the Hartford Courant Staff for its complete and sensitive coverage of the shooting massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., that killed 20 children and 6 adults, using digital tools as well as traditional reporting to tell the story quickly while portraying the stunned community's grief.
Investigative reporting: David Barstow and Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab of The New York Times for their reports on how Wal-Mart used widespread bribery to dominate the market in Mexico, resulting in changes in company practices. Finalists: Patricia Callahan, Sam Roe and Michael Hawthorne of the Chicago Tribune for their exposure of manufacturers that imperil public health by continuing to use toxic fire retardants in household furniture and crib mattresses, triggering reform efforts at the state and national level, and Alexandra Zayas of the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla., for her probe into unlicensed religious group-homes where children were beaten and locked in closet-size rooms for violating senseless rules, prompting action by state authorities.
Explanatory reporting: The New York Times staff for its penetrating look into business practices by Apple and other technology companies that illustrates the darker side of a changing global economy for workers and consumers. Finalists: Dan Egan of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his exhaustive examination of the struggle to keep Asian carp and other invasive species from reaching the Great Lakes and ultimately all of the nation's inland waters, a story enhanced by animated graphics, and Tony Bartelme of The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C., for his stories that helped readers understand the complex factors driving up their insurance bills.
Local reporting: Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis, for their powerful reports on the spike in infant deaths at poorly regulated day-care homes, resulting in legislative action to strengthen rules. Finalists: Ames Alexander and Karen Garloch of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and Joseph Neff and David Raynor of The News and Observer, Raleigh, N.C., for their tenacious joint project investigating how the state's major nonprofit hospitals generate large profits and contribute to the high cost of health care, and David Breen, Stephen Hudak, Jeff Kunerth and Denise-Marie Ordway of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel for their aggressive coverage of hazing rituals by the Florida A&M University marching band that killed a drum major and led to the resignation of the band leader and the university president.
National reporting: Lisa Song, Elizabeth McGowan and David Hasemyer of InsideClimate News, Brooklyn, N.Y., for their rigorous reports on flawed regulation of the nation's oil pipelines, focusing on potential ecological dangers posed by diluted bitumen (or "dilbit"), a controversial form of oil. Finalists: Liz Kowalczyk, Carolyn Johnson, Todd Wallack, Patricia Wen and Kay Lazar of The Boston Globe for their aggressive coverage of the deadly national outbreak of fungal meningitis traced to a compounding pharmacy in suburban Boston, revealing how the medical regulatory system failed to safeguard patients, and Craig Whitlock, Greg Miller, Karen DeYoung and Julie Tate of The Washington Post, for their fresh exploration of how American drones moved from a temporary means to kill terrorists to a permanent weapon of war, raising issues of legality and accountability.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: