Alumni
Nieman Pulitzer Winners
Eliza Griswold, NF ’07
Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America
General Nonfiction, 2019
A classic American story, grippingly told, of an Appalachian family struggling to retain its middle class status in the shadow of destruction wreaked by corporate fracking.
The staff of the [Oakland, CA] East Bay Times, including:
Tammerlin Drummond, NF ’14
East Bay Times
Breaking News, 2017
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.
The staffs of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, McClatchy and Miami Herald, including:
Fernando Rodrigues, NF ’08
Uri Blau, NF ’14
Wayhu Dhyatmika, NF ’15
Explanatory Reporting, 2017
For the Panama Papers, a series of stories using a collaboration of more than 300 reporters on six continents to expose the hidden infrastructure and global scale of offshore tax havens.
The staff of Seattle Times, including:
Ken Armstrong, NF ’01
Craig Welch, NF ’07
Breaking News Reporting, 2015
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.
The staff of The Boston Globe, including
David Abel, NF ’13
Christine Chinlund, NF ’98
Kevin Cullen, NF ’03
David Dahl, NF ’03
Mark Pothier, NF ’01
Stephen Smith, NF ’00
Breaking News Reporting, 2014
For its exhaustive and empathetic coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing manhunt that enveloped the city, using photography and a range of digital tools to capture the full impact of the tragedy.
Mary Schmich, NF ’96
Chicago Tribune
Commentary, 2012
For her wide range of down-to-earth columns that reflect the character and capture the culture of her famed city.
Ken Armstrong, NF ’01
The Seattle Times
Investigative Reporting, 2012
For the investigation of how a little known governmental body in Washington State moved vulnerable patients from safer pain-control medication to methadone, a cheaper but more dangerous drug, coverage that prompted statewide health warnings.
Amy Ellis Nutt, NF ’05
The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger
Feature Writing, 2011
For her deeply probing story of the mysterious sinking of a commercial fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean that drowned six men.
Gene Weingarten, NF ’88
The Washington Post
Feature Writing, 2010
For his haunting story about parents, from varying walks of life, who accidentally kill their children by forgetting them in cars.
Raquel Rutledge, NF ’12
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Local Reporting, 2010
For her penetrating reports on the fraud and abuse in a child-care program for low-wage working parents that fleeced taxpayers and imperiled children, resulting in a state and federal crackdown on providers.
Eugene Robinson, NF ’88
The Washington Post
Commentary, 2009
For his eloquent columns on the 2008 presidential campaign that focus on the election of the first African-American president, showcasing graceful writing and grasp of the larger historic picture.
Dexter Filkins, NF ’07
Carlotta Gall, NF ’12
Pir Zubair Shah, NF ’12
The New York Times
International Reporting, 2009
For its masterful, groundbreaking coverage of America’s deepening military and political challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, reporting frequently done under perilous condition.
The staff of The Washington Post, including:
Michael Ruane, NF ’92
The Washington Post
Breaking News Reporting, 2008
For its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, telling the developing story in print and online.
Gene Weingarten, NF ’88
The Washington Post
Feature Writing, 2008
For his chronicling of a world-class violinist who, as an experiment, played beautiful music in a subway station filled with unheeding commuters.
The staff of The Washington Post, for the work of Dana Priest, Anne Hull and photographer Michel du Cille:
Anne Hull, NF ’95
Public Service, 2008
In exposing mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, evoking a national outcry and producing reforms by federal officials.
Cynthia Tucker, NF ’89
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Commentary, 2007
For her courageous, clear-headed columns that evince a strong sense of morality and persuasive knowledge of the community.
Heidi Evans, NF ’93
New York Daily News
Editorial Writing, 2007
For compassionate and compelling editorials on behalf of Ground Zero workers whose health problems were neglected by the city and the nation.
The staff of The Wall Street Journal, including:
Jane Spencer, NF ’13
International Reporting, 2007
For its sharply edged reports on the adverse impact of China’s booming capitalism on conditions ranging from inequality to pollution.
The staffs of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service, including:
Jerry Kammer, NF ’94
Copley News Service
National Reporting, 2006
For their disclosure of bribe-taking that sent former Rep. Randy Cunningham to prison in disgrace.
The staff of the The Associated Press, including:
Anja Niedringhaus, NF ’07
Breaking News Photography, 2005
For its stunning series of photographs of bloody yearlong combat inside Iraqi cities.
Julia Keller, NF ’98
Chicago Tribune
Feature Writing, 2005
For her gripping, meticulously reconstructed account of a deadly 10-second tornado that ripped through Utica, Illinois.
The staff of the Los Angeles Times, including:
Janet Wilson, NF ’95
Breaking News Reporting, 2004
For its compelling and comprehensive coverage of the massive wildfires that imperiled a populated region of southern California.
Robert Caro, NF ’66
Master of the Senate
Biography or Autobiography, 2003
Master of the Senate carries Lyndon Johnson’s story through one of its most remarkable periods: his twelve years, from 1949 to 1960, in the United States Senate. At the heart of the book is its unprecedented revelation of how legislative power works in America, how the Senate works, and how Johnson, in his ascent to the presidency, mastered the Senate as no political leader before him had ever done.
Mary Jordan, NF ’90
The Washington Post
International Reporting, 2003
For the exposure of horrific conditions in Mexico’s criminal justice system and how they affect the daily lives of people.
The staff of The Boston Globe, including:
Kevin Cullen, NF ’03
Public Service, 2003
For its courageous, comprehensive coverage of sexual abuse by priests, an effort that pierced secrecy, stirred local, national and international reaction and produced changes in the Roman Catholic Church.
The staff of The Washington Post, including:
Amy Goldstein, NF ’05
National Reporting, 2002
For its comprehensive coverage of America’s war on terrorism, which regularly brought forth new information together with skilled analysis of unfolding developments.
The staff of The New York Times, including;
Chris Hedges, NF ’99
Public Service, 2002
For “A Nation Challenged,” a special section published regularly after the September 11th terrorist attacks on America, which coherently and comprehensively covered the tragic events, profiled the victims, and tracked the developing story, locally and globally.
The staff of the Chicago Tribune, including;
Louise Kiernan, NF ’05
Explanatory Reporting, 2001
For “Gateway to Gridlock,” its clear and compelling profile of the chaotic American air traffic system.
Ian Johnson, NF ’07
The Wall Street Journal
International Reporting, 2001
For his revealing stories from China about victims of the government’s often brutal suppression of the Falun Gong movement and the implications of that campaign for the future.
The staff of The New York Times, including:
Gerald Boyd, NF ’81
National Reporting, 2001
For its compelling and memorable series exploring racial experiences and attitudes across contemporary America.
The staff of The Oregonian, including:
Brent Walth, NF ’06
Richard Read, NF ’97
Public Service, 2001
For its detailed and unflinching examination of systematic problems within the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, including harsh treatment of foreign nationals and other widespread abuses, which prompted various reforms.
J.R. Moehringer, NF ’01
Los Angeles Times
Feature Writing, 2000
For his portrait of Gee’s Bend, an isolated river community in Alabama where many descendants of slaves live, and how a proposed ferry to the mainland might change it.
The staff of The Wall Street Journal, including:
Carla Robbins, NF ’90
The Wall Street Journal
National Reporting, 2000
For its revealing stories that question U.S. defense spending and military deployment in the post-Cold War era and offer alternatives for the future.
Blair Kamin, NF ’13
Chicago Tribune
Criticism, 1999
For his lucid coverage of city architecture, including an influential series supporting the development of Chicago’s lakefront area.
Richard Read, NF ’97
The Oregonian
Explanatory Reporting, 1999
For vividly illustrating the domestic impact of the Asian economic crisis by profiling the local industry that exports frozen french fries.
The staff of The Wall Street Journal, including:
Carla Robbins, NF ’90
International Reporting, 1999
For its in-depth, analytical coverage of the Russian financial crisis.
The staff of The Miami Herald, including:
Lisa Getter, NF ’95
Investigative Reporting, 1999
For its detailed reporting that revealed pervasive voter fraud in a city mayoral election, that was subsequently overturned.
The staff of The Washington Post, including:
David Jackson, NF ’09
Public Service, 1998
For its series that identified and analyzed patterns of reckless gunplay by city police officers who had little training or supervision.
The staff of the Grand Forks Herald, including:
Bryan Monroe, NF ’03
Public Service, 1998
For its sustained and informative coverage, vividly illustrated with photographs, that helped hold its community together in the wake of flooding, a blizzard and a fire that devastated much of the city, including the newspaper plant itself.
Eileen McNamara, NF ’88
The Boston Globe
Commentary, 1997
For her many-sided columns on Massachusetts people and issues.
Rick Bragg, NF ’93
The New York Times
Feature Writing, 1996
For his elegantly written stories about contemporary America.
The News & Observer, for the work of Melanie Sill, Pat Stith and Joby Warrick:
Melanie Sill, NF ’94
Public Service, 1996
On the environmental and health risks of waste disposal systems used in North Carolina’s growing hog industry.
The Dallas Morning News Team of The Dallas Morning News, including:
David Marcus, NF ’96
George Rodrigue, NF ’90
Beatriz Terrazas, NF ’99
International Reporting, 1994
For its series examining the epidemic of violence against women in many nations.
The staff of The Miami Herald, including:
Lisa Getter, NF ’95
Public Service, 1993
For coverage that not only helped readers cope with Hurricane Andrew’s devastation but also showed how lax zoning, inspection and building codes had contributed to the destruction.
Maria Henson, NF ’94
Lexington Herald-Leader
Editorial Writing, 1992
For her editorials about battered women in Kentucky, which focused statewide attention on the problem and prompted significant reforms.
Joseph Hallinan, NF ’98
The Indianapolis Star
Investigative Reporting, 1991
For the shocking series on medical malpractice in the state.
The staff of The Des Moines Register, including
Geneva Overholser, NF ’86
Public Service, 1991
For reporting by Jane Schorer that, with the victim’s consent, named a woman who had been raped — which prompt widespread reconsideration of the traditional media practice of concealing the identity of rape victims.
David Turnley, NF ’98
Detroit Free Press
Feature Photography, 1990
For photographs of the political uprisings in China and Eastern Europe.
Dale Maharidge, NF ’88
And Their Children After Them
General Nonfiction, 1990
For the book “And Their Children After Them: The Legacy of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: James Agee, Walker Evans, and the Rise and Fall of Cotton in the South,” co-authored with Michael Williamson
William Dietrich, NF ’88
The Seattle Times
National Reporting, 1990
For coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftermath.
The staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer, including:
Gilbert Gaul, NF ’83
Public Service, 1990
For reporting by Gilbert M. Gaul that disclosed how the American blood industry operates with little government regulation or supervision.
The staff of the Anchorage Daily News, including:
W. Patrick Dougherty, NF ’89
Public Service, 1989
For reporting about the high incidence of alcoholism and suicide among native Alaskans in a series that focused attention on their despair and resulted in various reforms.
Doug Marlette, NF ’81
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Charlotte Observer
Editorial Cartooning, 1988
For reporting about the high incidence of alcoholism and suicide among native Alaskans in a series that focused attention on their despair and resulted in various reforms.
The staff of The Alabama Journal, including:
Jim Tharpe, NF ’89
General News Reporting, 1988
For its compelling investigation of the state’s unusually high infant-mortality rate, which prompted legislation to combat the problem.
Ann Marie Lipinski, NF ’90
Chicago Tribune
Investigative Reporting, 1988
For the detailed reporting on the self-interest and waste that plague Chicago’s City Council.
The staff of The Charlotte Observer, including:
Ed Williams, NF ’73
Foster Davis, NF ’76
Mark Ethridge, NF ’86
Charles Shepard, NF ’91
Elizabeth Leland, NF ’92
Public Service, 1988
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.
Daniel R. Biddle, NF ’90
H.G. (Buzz) Bissinger, NF ’86
Fredric N. Tulsky, NF ’89
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Investigative Reporting, 1987
For their series “Disorder in the Court,” which revealed transgressions of justice in the Philadelphia court system and led to federal and state investigations.
The staff of The New York Times, including:
Nancy Lee, NF ’87
National Reporting, 1987
For coverage of the aftermath of the Challenger explosion, which included stories that identified serious flaws in the shuttle’s design and in the administration of America’s space program.
Matthew Brelis, NF ’02
The Pittsburgh Press
Public Service, 1987
For reporting which revealed the inadequacy of the FAA’s medical screening of airline pilots and led to significant reforms.
George Rodrigue, NF ’90
The Dallas Morning News
National Reporting, 1986
For their investigation into subsidized housing in East Texas, which uncovered patterns of racial discrimination and segregation in public housing across the United States and led to significant reforms.
Stan Grossfeld, NF ’92
The Boston Globe
Feature Photography, 1985
For his series of photographs of the famine in Ethiopia and for his pictures of illegal aliens on the Mexican border.
William K. Marimow, NF ’83
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Investigative Reporting, 1985
For his revelation that city police dogs had attacked more than 350 people — an expose that led to investigations of the K-9 unit and the removal of a dozen officers from it.
The staff of the Los Angeles Times, including:
Frank O. Sotomayor, NF ’86
Frank del Olmo, NF ’88
Public Service, 1984
For an in-depth examination of southern California’s growing Latino community by a team of editors and reporters.
The staff of the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times, including
Chris Waddle, NF ’05
Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1982
For coverage of the Hyatt Regency Hotel disaster and identification of its causes.
Jonathan Yardley, NF ’69
The Washington Star
Criticism, 1981
For his book reviews.
Shirley Christian, NF ’74
The Miami Herald
International Reporting, 1981
For her dispatches from Central America.
The staff of the Longview (WA) Daily News, including:
Linda Wilson, NF ’87
Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1981
For its coverage of the Mt. St. Helens story, including the photographs by Roger A. Werth.
The staff of The Charlotte Observer, including:
Mark Ethridge, NF ’86
Public Service, 1981
For its series on “Brown Lung: A Case of Deadly Neglect.”
Ellen Goodman, NF ’74
The Boston Globe
Commentary, 1980
For distinguished commentary
Madeleine Blais, NF ’86
The Miami Herald
Feature Writing, 1980
For “Zepp’s Last Stand.”
The staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer, including:
Rodney Nordland, NF ’89
Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1980
For coverage of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island.
Robert Porterfield, NF ’79
Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1980
For articles on Boston’s transit system.
Gilbert Gaul, NF ’83
Pottsville (PA) Republican
Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1979
For stories on the destruction of the Blue Coal Company by men with ties to organized crime.
The staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer, including:
William Marimow, NF ’83
Public Service, 1978
For a series of articles showing abuses of power by the police in its home city.
Acel Moore, NF ’80
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1977
For the reports on conditions in the Farview (Pa.) State Hospital for the mentally ill.
The photographic staff of Louisville Courier-Journal and Times, including:
Pamela Spaulding, NF ’85
Feature Photography, 1976
For a comprehensive pictorial report on busing in Louisville’s schools.
Gene Miller, NF ’68
The Miami Herald
Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1976
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.
The staff of the Anchorage Daily News, including:
Robert Porterfield, NF ’79
Anchorage Daily News
Public Service, 1976
For its disclosures of the impact and influence of the Teamsters Union on Alaska’s economy and politics.
Robert Caro, NF ’66
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Biography or Autobiography, 1975
Hedrick Smith, NF ’70
The New York Times
International Reporting, 1974
For his coverage of the Soviet Union and its allies in Eastern Europe in 1973.
John Strohmeyer, NF ’53
The Bethlehem (PA) Globe-Times
Editorial Writing, 1972
For his editorial campaign to reduce racial tensions in Bethlehem.
The staff of The New York Times, including:
Hedrick Smith, NF ’70
Public Service, 1972
For the publication of the Pentagon Papers.
The staff of the Akron Beacon Journal, including:
Robert H. Giles, NF ’66
Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1971
For its coverage of the Kent State University tragedy on May 4, 1970.
William Eaton, NF ’63
The Chicago Daily News
National Reporting, 1970
For disclosures about the background of Judge Clement F. Haynesworth Jr., in connection with his nomination for the United States Supreme Court.
The staff of the Detroit Free Press, including:
Saul Friedman, NF ’63
Philip Meyer, NF ’67
Gene Goltz, NF ’70
Local General or Spot News Reporting, 1968
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.
J. Anthony Lukas, NF ’69
The New York Times
Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1968
For the social document he wrote in his investigation of the life and the murder of Linda Fitzpatrick.
John Hughes, NF ’62
The Christian Science Monitor
International Reporting, 1967
For his thorough reporting of the attempted Communist coup in Indonesia in 1965 and the purge that followed in 1965-66.
Gene Miller, NF ’68
The Miami Herald
Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1967
Whose initiative and investigative reporting helped to free two persons wrongfully convicted of murder.
T
he staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal, including:
E. Hugh Morris, NF ’15
John Edwared Pearce, NF ’58
Louisville Courier-Journal
Public Service, 1967
For its successful campaign to control the Kentucky strip mining industry, a notable advance in the national effort for the conservation of natural resources.
Robert Lasch, NF ’42
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Editorial Writing, 1966
For his distinguished editorial writing in 1965.
Gene Goltz, NF ’70
The Houston Post
Local Investigative Specialized Reporting, 1965
For his expose of government corruption Pasadena, Texas, which resulted in widespread reforms.
Anthony Lewis, NF ’57
The New York Times
National Reporting, 1963
For his distinguished reporting of the proceedings of the United States Supreme Court during the year, with particular emphasis on the coverage of the decision in the reapportionment case and its consequences in many of the States of the Union.
Nathan Caldwell, NF ’41
Gene S. Graham, NF ’63
The Tennessean
National Reporting, 1962
For the exclusive disclosure and six years of detailed reporting, under great difficulties, of the undercover cooperation between management interests in the coal industry and the United Mine Workers.
Harry S. Ashmore, NF ’42
Arkansas Gazette
Editorial Writing, 1958
For the forcefulness, dispassionate analysis and clarity of his editorials on the school integration conflict in Little Rock.
Clark Mollenhoff, NF ’50
The Des Moines Register and Tribune
National Reporting, 1958
For his persistent inquiry into labor racketeering, which included investigatory reporting of wide significance.
William Lambert, NF ’60
Wallace Turner, NF ’59
The Oregonian
Local Reporting – No edition time, 1957
For their exposé of vice and corruption in Portland involving some municipal officials and officers of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, Western Conference. They fulfilled their assignments despite great handicaps and the risk of reprisal from lawless elements.
Anthony Lewis, NF ’57
Washington Daily News
National Reporting, 1955
For publishing a series of articles which were adjudged directly responsible for clearing Abraham Chasanow, an employee of the U.S. Navy Department, and bringing about his restoration to duty with an acknowledgment by the Navy Department that it had committed a grave injustice in dismissing him as a security risk. Mr. Lewis received the full support of his newspaper in championing an American citizen, without adequate funds or resources for his defense, against an unjust act by a government department. This is in the best tradition of American journalism.
Keyes Beech, NF ’53
Chicago Daily News
International Reporting, 1951
For reporting of the Korean War.
Edwin O. Guthman, NF ’51
The Seattle Times
National Reporting, 1950
For his series on the clearing of Communist charges of Professor Melvin Rader, who had been accused of attending a secret Communist school.
John H. Crider, NF ’41
The Boston Herald
Editorial Writing, 1949
For distinguished editorial writing during the year.