Online Journalism in the Pulitzers: could it raise the bar?

Posted by Marion Geiger on April 24, 2009 at 11:45 AM

Following the announcement of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners, Roy J. Harris Jr. continues the discussion about online journalism's part in the event. The opinion piece he wrote for the Christian Science Monitor expressed his thoughts on how journalism can "raise its standards" if they include online work. "That would once more elevate journalism - and elevate the Pulitzers, too. And it just might make old Joseph Pulitzer smile," he wrote.

This year was the first in which online publications could take part in the challenge. Several finalists were from online publications but none received a prize. The closest we came was with the St. Petersburg Times, which was recognized for its PolitiFact project. Although mainly a print publication, the project was mostly published online.

According to Harris "Of the 1,028 total journalism submissions from around the country, there were 65 entries from online enterprises. Thirty-seven online-only news organizations entered," Politico being the single only-only finalist for their editorial cartoonist.

However, the organization is warming up to the idea because first of all, they finally accepted online work. Second, several of the finalists were recognized for online efforts, even though they are generally considered print publications.

Edward J. Delaney, assistant editor of the Nieman Journalism Lab talks about two publications that made it into the finals for their use of the Internet. "Since breaking news is perhaps the one area where Internet journalism most outshines print," he looked at how finalists in the Breaking News category got creative with the Internet.

On the Pulitzer Organization's website, The Houston Chronicle

was cited "for taking full advantage of online technology and its newsroom expertise to become a lifeline to the city when Hurricane Ike struck, providing vital minute-by-minute updates on the storm, its flood surge and its aftermath."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch was recognized by the Pulitzer Organization "for its creative and aggressive coverage, both online and in print, of a city hall shooting...displaying an exemplary blend of speed and rigour in its reporting."

Although both publications are not online-only, they were still recognized for using the Internet to break news creatively. Harris points out how when the Pulitzer Prizes were created, they were used as a motivation for journalists to bring American reporting to a new level; Harris believes that by including online today, the same boost of excellence will occur. Maybe he is right. And even if the Pulitzer board members may still show hesitance towards the idea, but this year's prizes definitely represent the baby steps.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor, Nieman Journalism Lab