IRE members recognized in 2014 Pulitzer Prizes

Several members of Investigative Reporters and Editors were among journalists recognized in the 2014 Pulitzer Prizes on Monday.

The Washington Post and The Guardian US won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work exposing secret surveillance by the National Security Agency. Several IRE members contributed to the reporting.

Chris Hamby of The Center for Public Integrity won for Investigative Reporting for “his reports on how some lawyers and doctors rigged a system to deny benefits to coal miners stricken with black lung disease, resulting in remedial legislative efforts.”

Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times won for Local Reporting for “their relentless investigation into the squalid conditions that marked housing for the city’s substantial homeless population, leading to swift reforms.”

David Philipps of The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) won for National Reporting for "expanding the examination of how wounded combat veterans are mistreated, focusing on loss of benefits for life after discharge by the Army for minor offenses, stories augmented with digital tools and stirring congressional action."

Several IRE members were among Pulitzer Prize finalists as well.

Megan Twohey of Reuters was a finalist for the prize in Investigative Reporting for her reporting on underground Internet child exchanges.

Phillip Reese of The Sacramento Bee also was a finalist for the Investigative Reporting prize for his reporting on a Las Vegas mental hospital that dumped more than 1,500 psychiatric patients across the country over a span of five years.

Les Zaitz of The Oregonian was a finalist in the Explanatory Reporting category for his narratives that showed how lethal Mexican drug cartels infiltrated Oregon and other regions of the country.

Todd South was part of a team from the Chattanooga Times Free Press that was a finalist for the Local Reporting prize. South and his colleagues were recognized “for using an array of journalistic tools to explore the ‘no-snitch’ culture that helps perpetuate a cycle of violence in one of the most dangerous cities in the South.”

John Emshwiller and Jeremy Singer-Vine of The Wall Street Journal were finalists for National Reporting for “their reports and searchable database on the nation’s often overlooked factories and research centers that once produced nuclear weapons and now pose contamination risks.”

Newsday was named as the sole finalist for the Public Service prize for their series on exposing "shootings, beatings and other concealed misconduct by some Long Island police officers..." Several IRE members contributed to the reporting.

View the entire list of 2014 Pulitizer Prize winners here.