Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting

The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting is a Pulitzer Prize awarded for a distinguished example of breaking news, local reporting on news of the moment. It has been awarded since 1953 under several names:

*From 1953 to 1963: Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting, Edition Time
*From 1964 to 1984: Pulitzer Prize for Local General or Spot News Reporting
*From 1985 to 1990: Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting
*From 1991 to 1997: Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting
*From 1998 to present: Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting

Prior to 1953, a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting combined both breaking and investigative reporting under one category. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting

* 1985: Thomas Turcol of the "Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star", (Norfolk, Va.) "for City Hall coverage which exposed the corruption of a local economic development official."
* 1986: Edna Buchanan of the "Miami Herald", "for her versatile and consistently excellent police beat reporting."
* 1987: Staff of the "Akron Beacon Journal", "for its coverage, under deadline pressure, of the attempted takeover of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. by a European financier."
* 1988: Staff of the "Alabama Journal" (Montgomery), "for its compelling investigation of the state's unusually high infant-mortality rate, which prompted legislation to combat the problem."
* 1988: Staff of "Lawrence Eagle-Tribune", "for an investigation that revealed serious flaws in the Massachusetts prison furlough system and led to significant statewide reforms."
* 1989: Staff of "Louisville Courier-Journal", "for its exemplary initial coverage of a bus crash that claimed 27 lives and its subsequent thorough and effective examination of the causes and implications of the tragedy."
* 1990: Staff of "San Jose Mercury News", "for its detailed coverage of the October 17, 1989, Bay Area earthquake and its aftermath."

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting

*1991: Staff of the "Miami Herald", "for stories profiling a local cult leader, his followers, and their links to several area murders."
*1992: Staff of "Newsday", "for coverage of a midnight subway derailment in Manhattan that left five passengers dead and more than 200 injured."
*1993: Staff of the "Los Angeles Times", "for comprehensive, penetrating coverage under deadline pressure of the second, most destructive day of the Los Angeles riots."
*1994: Staff of the "New York Times", "for its comprehensive coverage of the 1993 bombing of Manhattan's World Trade Center."
*1995: Staff of the "Los Angeles Times", "for its reporting on January 17, 1994, of the chaos and devastation in the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake."
*1996: Robert D. McFadden of "New York Times", "for his highly skilled writing and reporting on deadline during the year."
*1997: Staff of "Newsday", "for its enterprising coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800 and its aftermath."

List of winners for Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting

* 1998: The "Los Angeles Times" staff, "for its coverage of a botched bank robbery, which led to a shootout with the police in North Hollywood."
* 1999: The "Hartford Courant" staff, "for its coverage of a shooting spree by a state lottery worker that left five dead."
* 2000: The "Denver Post" staff, "for its coverage of the massacre at the Columbine High School."
* 2001: The "Miami Herald" staff, "for its coverage of the seizure of Elián González by federal agents."
* 2002: The "Wall Street Journal" staff, "for its coverage of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center."
* 2003: The "Eagle-Tribune" staff, "for its stories on the accidental drowning of four boys in the Merrimack River."
* 2004: Staff of the "Los Angeles Times", "for its compelling and comprehensive coverage of the massive wildfires that imperiled a populated region of southern California."
* 2005: Staff of the "Star-Ledger", "for its comprehensive, clear-headed coverage of the resignation of New Jersey's governor after he announced he was gay and confessed to adultery with a male lover."
* 2006: Staff of the "Times-Picayune", "for its courageous and aggressive coverage of Hurricane Katrina, overcoming desperate conditions facing the city and the newspaper."
* 2007: Staff of "The Oregonian", "for its skillful and tenacious coverage of a family missing in the Oregon mountains, telling the tragic story both in print and online."
* 2008: Staff of "The Washington Post", "For its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, telling the developing story in print and online."