home

Charlie Savage Wins Pulitzer For Reporting on Bush Signing Statements

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced this afternoon and among the winners was the Boston Globe's Charles Savage, for his reproting on President Bush's unprecedented use of signing statements:

The Boston Globe took the prize for national reporting for reports by Charles Savage documenting that President Bush had quietly disregarded more than 750 laws enacted by Congress since he took office. Mr. Savage found that the president attached “signing statements” saying he had the power to set those laws aside when they conflicted with his interpretation of the Constitution and when Congress sought to regulate the military.

Congratulations to Mr. Savage. The other winners on the flip.

Here is the complete list of winners:

PUBLIC SERVICE The Wall Street Journal

For its creative and comprehensive probe into backdated stock options for business executives that triggered investigations, the ouster of top officials and widespread change in corporate America.

Finalists: Brett Blackledge of The Birmingham (Ala.) News; The Washington Post

BREAKING NEWS REPORTING
The 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.

Finalists: The Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky., The Staff of The Denver Post

LOCAL REPORTING
Debbie Cenziper of The Miami Herald

For reports on waste, favoritism and lack of oversight at the Miami housing agency that resulted in dismissals, investigations and prosecutions.

Finalists: The Staff of The Boston Globe; Fred Schulte and June Arney of The Baltimore Sun

NATIONAL REPORTING
Charlie Savage of The Boston Globe

for his revelations that President Bush often used "signing statements" to assert his controversial right to bypass provisions of new laws.

Finalists: Maurice Possley and Steve Mills of the Chicago Tribune; Les Zaitz, Jeff Kosseff and Bryan Denson of The Oregonian

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Brett Blackledge of The Birmingham (Ala.) News

or his exposure of cronyism and corruption in the state's two-year college system, resulting in the dismissal of the chancellor and other corrective action.

Finalists: Ken Armstrong, Justin Mayo and Steve Miletich of The Seattle Times; Michael J. Berens, Julia Sommerfeld and Carol Ostrom of The Seattle Times; and Lisa Chedekel and Matthew Kauffman of The Hartford Courant

EXPLANATORY REPORTING
Kenneth R. Weiss, Usha Lee McFarling and Rick Loomis of the Los Angeles Times

For their richly portrayed reports on the world's distressed oceans, telling the story in print and online, and stirring reaction among readers and officials.

Finalists: Joanne Kimberlin and Bill Sizemore of The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk; The Staff of The New York Times

INTERNATIONAL REPORTING
The Staff of The Wall Street Journal

For its sharply edged reports on the adverse impact of China's booming capitalism on conditions ranging from inequality to pollution.

Finalists: The Staff of the Los Angeles Times; Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post

FEATURE WRITING
Andrea Elliott of The New York Times

For her intimate, richly textured portrait of an immigrant imam striving to find his way and serve his faithful in America.

Finalists: Christopher Goffard of the St. Petersburg Times; Inara Verzemnieks of The Oregonian

COMMENTARY
Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For her courageous, clear-headed columns that evince a strong sense of morality and persuasive knowledge of the community.

Finalists: Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post; Joe Nocera of The New York Times

CRITICISM
Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly

For his zestful, wide ranging restaurant reviews, expressing the delight of an erudite eater.

Finalists: Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times; Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times

EDITORIAL WRITING
Editorial Board of the New York Daily News

For its compassionate and compelling editorials on behalf of Ground Zero workers whose health problems were neglected by the city and the nation.

Finalists: Jane Healy of The Orlando Sentinel; Sebastian Mallaby of The Washington Post

BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
Oded Balilty of The Associated Press

For his powerful photograph of a lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces as they remove illegal settlers in the West Bank.

Finalists: The Staff of the Associated Press; Michael Bryant of The Philadelphia Inquirer

FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Renée C. Byer of The Sacramento Bee

For her intimate portrayal of a single mother and her young son as he loses his battle with cancer.

Finalists: Mary F. Calvert of The Washington Times; Gary Coronado of The Palm Beach Post

EDITORIAL CARTOONING

Walt Handelsman of Newsday, Long Island, N.Y.

For his stark, sophisticated cartoons and his impressive use of zany animation.

Finalists: Nick Anderson of The Houston Chronicle; Mike Thompson of the Detroit Free Press
< What Would You Ask Alberto Gonzales? | Judging Free Speech >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    signing statements! yes! (none / 0) (#1)
    by the rainnn on Mon Apr 16, 2007 at 04:20:33 PM EST
    and, i particularly appreciated
    the wall street journal's work in
    covering what started as an academic's
    statistical oddity. his curiousity made
    it part two of the corporate misdeeds
    story that suggests sarbanes-oxley was,
    and is, both a needed, a well-timed
    package of oversight reforms. . .

    so, congrats to the journal, too.


    Proof I was right to cancel my NYTimes sub (none / 0) (#2)
    by yudel on Mon Apr 16, 2007 at 06:27:56 PM EST
    Did anyone else notice how very, very thin all the nominated NYTimes stories were? A series on diabetes? The profile of a midwestern Muslim?

    Seems to me more like Newsweek than a real pro-journalism paper.

    Signing statements (none / 0) (#3)
    by Carolyn in Baltimore on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 08:10:38 AM EST
    was a great story. We already knew it was s****y but the story wrapped up the prevalence and intentions of it all so well. It was truly deserving of an award.

    As were stories and analysis from TPM and FDL, including Jeralyn's work at Libby trial. Kudos to all muckrakers everywhere.