Here at Columbia journalism school for the 2009 Pulitzer Awards, I and the other reporters have asked administrator Sig Gissler several questions about accepting online-only entries for prizes. (None won this year). There will be more postings on that subject later, but in the meantime, here are the prizes.

Pulitzer Prizes 2009 — journalism:

• Public Service:
  Las Vegas Sun — and “notably to the courageous reporting by Alexandra Berzon, for the exposure of the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip amid lax enforcement of regulations, leading to changes in policy and improved safety conditions.”
• Breaking News Reporting:
  The New York Times - Coverage of the sex scandal that resulted in the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
• Investigative Reporting:
  The New York Times - “Awarded to David Barstow of The New York Times for his tenacious reporting that revealed how some retired generals, working as radio and television analysts, had been co-opted by the Pentagon to make its case for the war in Iraq, and how many of them also had undisclosed ties to companies that benefited from policies they defended.”
• Explanatory Reporting:
  Los Angeles Times - “Awarded to Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times for their fresh and painstaking exploration into the cost and effectiveness of attempts to combat the growing menace of wildfires across the western United States.”
• Local Reporting:
  Detroit Free Press - “And notably Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick for their uncovering of a pattern of lies by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick that included denial of a sexual relationship with his female chief of staff, prompting an investigation of perjury that eventually led to jail terms for two officials.”
• Local Reporting:
  East Valley Tribune - “Awarded to Ryan Gabrielson and Paul Giblin… for their adroit use of limited resources to reveal, in print and online, how a popular sheriff’s focus on immigration enforcement endangered investigation of violent crime and other aspects of public safety.”
• National Reporting:
  St. Petersburg Times - “For PolitiFact, its fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaing that used probing reporters and the power of the World Wide Web to examine more than 750 political claims, separating rhetoric from truth to enlighten voters.
• International Reporting:
  The New York Times staff - “For its masterful groundbreaking coverage of America’s deepening military and political challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, reporting frequently done under perilous conditions.”
• Feature Writing:
  St. Petersburg Times - “Awarded to Lane DeGregory… for her moving, richly detailed story of a neglected little girl, found in a roach-infested room, unable to talk or feed herself, who was adopted by a new family committed to her nurturing.”
• Commentary:
  The Washington Post - “Awarded to Eugene Robinson… for his eloquent columns on the 2008 presidential campaign that focused on the election of the first African-American president, showcasing graceful writing and a grasp of the larger historic picture.”
• Criticism:
  The New York Times - “Awarded to Holland Cotter… for his wide ranging reviews of art, from Manhattan to China, marked by acute observation, luminous writing and dramatic storytelling.”
• Editorial Writing:
  The Post-Star, Glens Falls, New York - Awarded to “Mark Mahoney… for his relentless, down-to-earth editorials on the perils of local government secrecy, effectively admonishing citizens to uphold their right to know.”
• Editorial Cartooning:
  The San Diego Union-Tribune - “Awarded to Steve Breen… for his agile use of a classic style to produce wide-ranging cartoons that engage readers with power, clarity and humor.”
• Breaking News Photography:
  The Miami Herald - “Awarded to Patrick Farrell… for his provocative, impeccably composed images of despair after Hurricane Ike and other lethal storms caused a humanitarian disaster in Haiti.”
• Feature Photography:
  The New York Times - “Awarded to Damon Winter… for his memorable array of pictures deftly capturing multiple facets of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.”

New York Post newsroom staff are grumbling about a new work rule that essentially pays them the same amount of money, but for more work.

Two sources told MediaFile that Rupert Murdoch’s daily tabloid has told reporters that their work week is now 40 hours long. That’s no big deal to most working stiffs, but that’s a change from the earlier 37-1/2 hours.

The upshot is that overtime pay, which once started as the clock struck 37-1/2, now doesn’t begin until 2-1/2 hours later. As many journalists know, it’s hard to break news on your beat unless you’re willing to put up with stories — and events — that happen at any time and don’t fit well into normal working hours. That said, journalists who don’t like this move say it amounts to a 6 percent pay cut because it’s more work for the same pay.

We’re still waiting to hear back from the Post. If you’re really ticked off, you could try quiet subversion — 30 minutes of checking Facebook each day adds up to 2-1/2 hours in one work week

(Photo: Reuters)

I usually believe everything I read in Editor & Publisher, but this one seemed almost too good/horrifying to be true:

When a newspaper cuts its staff, those who remain in the depleted newsroom become valuable. But as The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. slowly says farewell to 151 newsroom folks who took buyouts last month, at least two longtime journalists have been reassigned to the mailroom.

Reporter Jason Jett and Assistant Deputy Photo Editor Mitchell Seidel have been filing, sorting, and delivering mail for more than a week, according to sources.

Jett and Seidel, who could not be reached for comment, apparently declined to take one of the buyouts offered this fall as part of a companywide move to cut costs.

Wow. Going from the newsroom to the mailroom? There may be a bright side (You don’t have to deal with unwanted PR pitches and screaming editors anymore), but it kind of requires a philosophical attitude adjustment.

In any case, I wondered if maybe it was a joke so I checked with my friends at the paper. It wasn’t a joke.

It was after reading the E&P story on the Romenesko journalism blog that I came across another gem, this one also on Romenesko. Check out this excerpt from a Westword blog entry:

Staffers at the Longmont Times-Call recently received an internal e-mail inviting them to work as valets at a private Christmas party for the Lehman family, who own the paper. And at least two employees have already accepted the offer.

The party honors Ed Lehman, who’s currently in his 51st year as the Times-Call’s publisher, and his wife Connie — and Dean Lehman, the paper’s editor and president (and Ed’s son), says valets are needed because many of the guests are elderly and may need a little extra help.

As Jim Sheppard, a wonderful former editor of mine, once said: There’s no job too small in journalism.

(Photo: Reuters)

The American Press Institute went through with its plan to bring top U.S. newspaper publishers together in a room this week to figure out how to keep themselves alive despite all the financial evidence showing that hospice care might be their best bet at this point. It also, as we reported before, was closed to press, and none of the 50 executives who went were named. (UPDATE: Thanks to a good friend who supplied me with the list, it appears at the end of the post.)

Here are excerpts from the report. Go to the bottom of this post to read about why we couldn’t go:

The general feel of the conference:
“At times akin to group therapy and at other times resembling a business-school class… (Aren’t these folks business professionals already?)”

The prognosis:
“According to James Shein, Ph.D., turnaround specialist and professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, companies should start by plotting their place on a ‘Phases of a Crisis’ chart. The earliest stage is indicated by a company essentially blind to eroding conditions undermining its business. This is followed by acknowledgement but inaction, followed by faulty action in hopes of a quick fix, followed by full-blown crisis and finally dissolution of the enterprise. … As an organization moves down the crisis curve, it will find executing a recovery plan more difficult, and will have less time to do it.”

The conclusion?
“As a whole the industry is at or approaching full-blown crisis stage… And he is pessimistic about their ability to halt their fall without outside help. ‘The biggest hurdles to progress (are) the industry’s senior leadership, including some of the people in this room.’ Shein told the group. ‘I am not sure you can take a look at your industry with fresh eyes.’”

Ouch! How do we survive?

• Act like an entrepreneur; stop thinking first about why a new approach won’t work.
• Create a portfolio of initiatives; recognize that some will fail and kill those quickly.
• Don’t wait for every data point before taking action. “Ready, fire, aim” should be the operating principle, Shein said.
• Use downsizing as a tool when necessary to achieve a larger strategy, not simply as a cost-cutting goal.
• Figure out how to leverage core competencies into new directions and new niches.
• Be honest with employees, and get ideas from those on the front lines.
• Don’t sit and cower and weep about your problems. Inspire.
• Collaborate with outside entities that can bring expertise or resources.
• Pay attention to, and leverage, the brand.

Recommendations that sound nearly just like that have been floating around for more than a decade, but hey, maybe they need some time to stick.

* Want to know why we weren’t allowed to report this to you at the time? Here’s Drew Davis, president and executive director of the API, on a message left on my voicemail.

“The reason is that we think it’s critical that this be an open and frank discussion among the CEOs. First if the press were invited, we wouldn’t have had the CEOs come; that’s a reality. And second, any kind of press coverage during the actual event, I think would undeniably stifle any kind of frank exchange of ideas, which is what we want. We’re making this and our report non-attributional, and that’s just another indiciation of our desire to make this a frank and open discussion. I know you’re not happy about it, but this is why we did it.”

As many media reporters say: It’s a bit of an irony to run a business that depends on sources speaking honestly. It also is interesting to note that the only way news executives can share their views frankly is to do it confidentially and out of reach of their employees and the press. After all, we’re in it together.

Here is who was scheduled to attend:

Michael G. Abernathy, President, Landmark Community Newspapers, Inc., Shelbyville, KY
Steven Ainsley, Publisher, The Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Reid Ashe, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Media General Inc., Richmond, VA
Donna J. Barrett, President & CEO, Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., Birmingham, AL
David H. Black, President, Black Press Group Ltd., Victoria, BC
Diana Block, President and Co‐Publisher, Pittsburgh Post‐Gazette, Pittsburgh, PA
James B. Boone, CEO & Chairman of the Board, Boone Newspapers, Inc., Northport, AL
Elizabeth F Brenner, President & Publisher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI
Bruce Buchanan, President & CEO, Harris Enterprises Inc., Hutchinson, KS
Mark G. Contreras, Senior Vice President/Newspapers, E. W. Scripps Company, Cincinnati, OH
James C. Currow, Publisher, The Florida Times‐Union, Jacksonville, FL
Keith L. Dawn, Publisher/Chief Operating Officer, The Press of Atlantic City, Pleasantville, NJ
Robert J. Dickey, President, U.S. Community Publishing, Gannett Company, Inc., McLean, VA
Mariá Eugenia Ferrá Rangel, President, El Nuevo Dia, San Juan, PR
Douglas E. Franklin, Publisher and President, The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, FL
Sherman R. Frederick, President/Publisher, Las Vegas Review‐Journal, Las Vegas, NV
Michael A. Gugliotto, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Pioneer Newspapers, Seattle , WA
Arne Hoel, President/CEO, Swift Newspapers Inc., Reno, NV
Terry L. Horne, President and Publisher, The Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA
Peter A. Horvitz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Horvitz Newspapers, Bellevue, WA
John M. Humenik, Editor and Publisher, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ
Walter E. Hussman, President and CEO, Wehco Media, Inc., Little Rock, AR
Wade Hynes, Vice President Online, Sum Media, Sudbury, ON
George B. Irish, President, Hearst Newspapers, New York, NY
Mary M. Jacobus, President and COO, New York Times Regional Media Group, Tampa, FL
Gregg K. Jones, President, Jones Media Inc., Greeneville, TN
Maurice A. Jones, Publisher, The Virginian‐Pilot, Norfolk, VA
John A. Kirkpatrick, President/Publisher/Editor, The Patriot‐News, Harrisburg, PA
Michelle M. Krans, Senior VP of Strategy and Development, Gannett Company, Inc., McLean, VA
Brent J. Low, President & CEO, MediaOne of Utah, a Newspaper Agency Company, West Valley City, UT
William S. Lynett, Publisher, The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes‐Barre, PA

Some interesting points from a weekend opinion piece by Financial Times Editor Lionel Barber.
Barber analyzed how the press — particularly in the United States — got to the miserable place that it’s in now. There are plenty of reasons having to do with business models and impatient Wall Street vultures, but Barber brought up an interesting idea: the mainstream media disenfranchised itself from the public’s trust as it became more cozy with its high-level sources — precisely at the time that the Internet started to annihilate the U.S. newspaper business model.

Barber relies on Michael Elliott, the British-born editor of Time’s international edition, to sum up the U.S. newspaper crisis:

A broken business model overly reliant on classified advertising revenue that has now moved online; a mistaken notion that post-1945 newspaper staffs of 800-plus journalists were the norm rather than a historical aberration; and, crucially, a stultifying failure to innovate because of the lack of competition.

(This last part, when applied to newsrooms, amounts to blaming the victim, Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi suggests in an American Journalism Review article out recently.)

Elliott suggests that the U.S. press could be more fun.

“The mainstream press in America is so conservative,” Elliott says. “Where are the DVD giveaways, where are the special promotions like in Britain? Look at the sports pages! They write about sport like they do City Hall. Where is the sense of fun?”

Barber himself strikes a serious note more typical of the FT’s own writing style when he cites media writer Eric Alterman’s view that bloggers often rely on readership to fact-check posted material, whereas newspapers try to get that out of the way before publishing:

As an editor myself, I find this prospect alarming - not so much because it threatens to put me (and many colleagues) out of a job but because it signals a departure from an honourable tradition in which professional journalists do their best - through a process of discovery relying on multiple sources - to establish something approaching a rough historical record.

Would a DVD giveaway would help?

(Photo: Reuters newsroom, quite a long time ago.)

What the world needs now is a little less news.

A new study by the Associated Press and “ethnographic research firm” Context-Based Research Group says people aged 18-34 are overloaded with facts and updates and have trouble connecting with more in-depth stories. At the same time, they yearn for quality and in-depth reporting while having difficulty getting immediate access to that content.

The study, which surveyed young adults in Britain, India and the United States, also helped the AP and Context develop a new model for news consumption after discovering that younger generations get their news in a dramatically different fashion from their elders.

Namely:

Participants in this study almost always consumed news as part of another set of activities and therefore were unable to give their full attention to the news. This is very different from previous news consumption models where people sat down to watch the evening news or read the morning paper. Multitasking prevented participants from becoming completely engaged with a news story and therefore interaction with the news was limited to headlines and news updates

News Is Connected to E-mail: Many of the study participants digested news alongside their e-mail. “I get my news when I check my e-mail,” was a common statement from study participants. However, the small doses of news in e-mail formats mostly failed to deliver the deeper content that might have produced a richer and more rewarding experience for participants.

The report covers a lot of ground, but one of the most interesting conclusions is one that most people who sit in front of a computer all day already know:

Participants in the study said they checked updates and headlines as a way to pass time and break boredom.

Overall, participants in the study constantly checked for news and therefore technically consumed news on a very frequent basis. However, the news they most frequently accessed largely consisted of headlines and updates. Their behavior therefore suggested a “false positive”; that is, the participants were checking news more frequently but not exploring stories in any depth.

And on a side note: The case studies include the story of Raj, a hyper-frequent news consumer, who clearly has a knack for pleasing the people studying him:

Raj said he normally checked the news eight to 10 times a day when he was busy and up to 20 times a day when he had more free time. Raj’s preferred sites were NDTV and Yahoo. He was also very familiar with The Associated Press.

(Photo: Reuters)