The Pulitzer Prize still needs to take steps in accepting online journalism

 
1. The decision by the board misses the entire point of online journalism in that it only allows the judging of written articles and still images. Furthermore, the only categories that will be accepted for works pubished entirely online are breaking news reporting and breaking news photography.

This means that mulitmedia stories, a phenomenon created by and restricted to the Internet which provide the reader with depth in a story never before witnessed in journalism, will be ignored by the board.

For example, this piece researched and compiled by Tom Knudson at the Sacramento Bee which includes video, audio, images, graphics, scans of primary resources in addition to the written report, won't be allowed to be judged as a package. The text, yes. The photos, yes. But the way that the story's reporters opened up to readers by providing them with first-hand details and depth of the multimedia presentation will not be considered.

Multimedia presentations prevelant in other papers, such as the New York Times' Nicholas Kristof reports and the Washington Post's slideshows, won't be judged either.

2. Another aspect of online journalism that is ignored is the inclusion of participatory journalism. If the Public Service category of the prize is considered the most distinguished, shouldn’t the Pulitzer consider journalism that includes readers? Doesn’t listening to the readers add to the value of reporting?

Although Sig Gissler, administrator of the Pulitzers thinks that "the Pulitzer competition now reflects a blend of print and online, which is what most newspapers are seeking to achieve these days," it's obvious the judges have not accepted that journalism changes online in ways that benefit the reporter and more importantly, the reader.

Sources: Editor & Publisher, Sacramento Bee