Gannett’s Courier Journal Wins 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting
May 04 2020 - 7:00PM
Business Wire
Louisville’s staff recognized with top
journalism honor
Today, the Louisville Courier Journal, part of Gannett Co., Inc.
(NYSE: GCI), received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News
Reporting for its coverage of the flurry of pardons and
commutations given by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin during his final
days in office.
The Pulitzer Prize Board recognized the Louisville Courier
Journal “for its rapid coverage of hundreds of last-minute pardons
by Kentucky’s governor, showing how the process was marked by
opacity, racial disparities and violations of legal norms.”
In order to conduct deep analysis, staff reporters quickly built
their own database of the pardon/commutation recipients, including
the person, their crime, conviction date and location, and
commentary from the governor gleaned from his executive orders.
They examined the racial breakdown of 336 imprisoned low-level drug
offenders whose sentences were commuted and found that 95% were
white.
On December 22, 2018, the Courier Journal published their
findings online and in an eight-page special print section. On
January 2, 2020 the Courier Journal reported that the Kentucky
Attorney General had asked the FBI to investigate Bevin’s
pardons.
“I have to presume that anytime a newsroom wins a Pulitzer, it’s
an amazing feeling. But to hear the news today – with my staff
working remotely, with all of us exhausted from covering the
biggest story of our generation – it means more than words can
express. This is for the taxpayers of Kentucky who demand
accountability and public trust from their elected officials and
expect the Courier Journal to ensure that happens,” said Rick
Green, Editor of the Courier Journal in Louisville.
This marks the fourth Pulitzer Prize awarded to Gannett
journalists in the last three years.
“This is precisely the kind of dogged watchdog work that brings
accountability to our government. And this honor affirms that no
matter how challenging the circumstances, we will continue to be
there working on behalf of our readers to shine a light in the dark
corners. The stellar work of the Courier Journal team is a
reflection of our commitment to journalistic excellence in every
community we serve,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, Gannett Media’s
President of News and Publisher of USA TODAY.
About Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is an innovative, digitally
focused media and marketing solutions company committed to
fostering the communities in our network and helping them build
relationships with their local businesses. With an unmatched reach
at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of
nearly 150 million people monthly with our Pulitzer-Prize winning
content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products
and services. Our portfolio includes the USA TODAY, local media
organizations in 46 states in the U.S. and Guam, and Newsquest, a
wholly owned subsidiary with over 140 local media brands operating
in the United Kingdom. Gannett also owns the digital marketing
services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream,
Inc. and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S.,
GateHouse Live. Effective November 20, 2019, following the
completion of its merger with Gannett, New Media Investment Group
Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under Gannett Co., Inc.
and its ticker symbol has changed to “GCI”. To connect with us,
visit www.gannett.com.
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Hayley Hoefer, PR Manager hhoefer@gannett.com (571) 389-2144
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