‘Pulitzer’s Gold’: The Irreplaceable Role Of Investigative Journalism

investigavive reportersBehind The Prize for Public Service Journalism

University of Missouri Press

One of the best pieces of journalistic advice I know comes from a fellow investigative reporter who, when asked how he finds so many good stories, gives this simple answer: Just look around you, he says. Look at what seems to be too good to be true or what doesn't seem to add up. Chances are, he says, it is too good to be true and doesn't add up.

I thought of this while reading “Pulitzer's Gold” by Roy J. Harris Jr., now updated and just released in paperback. Harris tells a story about the Pulitzer Prizes that's never really been told before. He zeroes in on the history of the most prized Pulitzer, the Gold Medal for public service. Most Pulitzer prizes go to individual journalists, but the public service medal is awarded to newspapers that publish exceptional work.

Full Story: James B. Steele: ‘Pulitzer’s Gold’: The Irreplaceable Role Of Investigative Journalism.

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