普利策獎揭曉 網絡媒體首次獲獎
ProPublica, in a historic first for online journalism, won a coveted Pulitzer Prize on Monday for investigative reporting about controversial deaths at a New Orleans medical center following Hurricane Katrina.
The chronicle of decisions by doctors caring for patients stranded by the flood, written by Sheri Fink of ProPublica in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine, marked the first time an online service won a top journalism award given annually by the Pulitzer Prize Board at Columbia University.
The nonprofit ProPublica is considered by some to be a new model for journalism as struggling for-profit outlets have fewer resources to put toward investigative reporting. The Times magazine published the Hurricane Katrina piece.
"This is something we're going to see more of in the years ahead as there's more and more collaboration of news entities when it comes to enterprise journalism," Sig Gissler, administrator of the prizes, said in announcing the winners.
In another online first, , the website of the San Francisco Chronicle, won for editorial cartooning. The award for the animated cartoons by Mark Fiore marked the first time an Internet-based entry won in that category.
A second Pulitzer for investigative reporting went to Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News for their expose of a rogue police narcotics squad.
Reporter Michael Moss and New York Times staff won in the explanatory reporting category for writing about contaminated hamburger and food safety issues. Reporter Matt Richtel and Times staff won the national reporting award for writing about the hazards of using cell phones and computers while driving.
"The watchdog function of journalism is heavily underscored," Gissler said. "Watchdog journalism is still a vibrant force.
"It's been a tough time for newspapers the last few years," he added. "But amid the gloomy talk, the winners and the finalists are encouraging examples of the high quality of journalism across the nation."
In the public service category, the Bristol, Virginia Herald Courier won for writing about the "murky mismanagement" of natural gas royalties owed to landowners, the board said.
爲新聞人夢寐以求的年度普利策獎於本週一揭曉，ProPublica新聞網站成爲史上首家獲得該獎的網絡媒體。該網站有關美國卡特里娜颶風后新奧爾良一家醫療中心的爭議性死亡事件的報道獲得調查類報道普利策獎。
這篇報道由ProPublica網站記者謝里•芬克與《紐約時報》副刊合作採寫，披露了醫生們對被洪水圍困的病人的爭議性治療。該報道的獲獎標誌着網絡媒體首次榮獲普利策獎。一年一度的普利策獎由哥倫比亞大學普利策獎評委會評選，是新聞界的最高獎項。
ProPublica是一家非盈利性的新聞機構，在傳統媒體利潤下滑，推動調查類報道的經費趨於緊張的情況下，該機構被一些人視爲新聞行業的一種新模式。這篇與卡特里娜颶風有關的報道在《紐約時報》副刊上刊登。
普利策獎評委會主席西格•吉斯勒在宣佈獲獎名單時說：“今後我們會看到更多類似的方式，在深度報道方面，不同新聞機構間的合作將會越來越多。”
此外，《舊金山紀事報》網站捧走了今年的社論漫畫獎。在該網站刊載的馬克•菲奧雷漫畫作品的勝出標誌着網絡媒體首次在這一領域獲得普利策獎。
獲普利策調查類報道獎的還有《費城每日新聞》的記者芭芭拉•萊克和溫迪•魯德爾曼。兩人的報道披露了緝毒警察的不法行爲。
《紐約時報》記者邁克爾•莫斯及其團隊憑藉有毒漢堡和食品安全問題的報道獲得解釋性報道獎。該報記者馬特•裏奇泰爾及其團隊有關開車時使用手機和電腦的危害的報道獲得國內新聞報道獎。
吉斯勒說：“新聞媒體的輿論監督作用得到了明顯體現。媒體監督仍然是一股強勁的社會力量。”
他說：“過去幾年，報紙的處境十分艱難。但在這種境況下，這些獲獎者和入圍者成爲全美新聞行業中令人振奮的，高質量報道的典範。”
據評委會公佈，弗吉尼亞州《布裏斯托爾先驅信使報》憑藉對該州天然氣稅費管理漏洞的報道摘得公共服務獎。
Vocabulary:
chronicle: an account or record of a series of events（編年史，年代史）
narcotics squad: 緝毒隊
royalties: usage-based payments made by one party (the "licensee") to another (the "licensor") for ongoing use of an asset（使用費）
