该奖从1979年开始颁发,授予年度最佳的特写作品,其要具备高超的文学水平和独立原创性。《纽约客》专栏作家Kathryn Schulz凭借《如何在大灾难来临时保持安全》(the really big one)一文获得特稿写作奖。她在文章中分析,美国西北地区在未来数十年内可能发生大地震,届时700万人将面临危险,西雅图将被摧毁。她在文中提出了9条相对简单且实用的应对地震的建议。这篇文章引起了当地地震学家的关注,经探测,科学家称在未来50年内美国西北部会发生较大破坏性的地震。这篇文章使西雅图居民陷入恐慌的同时,也让他们增强了防灾意识。
The next full-margin rupture of the Cascadia subduction zone will spell the worst natural disaster in the history of the continent.
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPH NIEMANN; MAP BY ZIGGYMAJ / GETTY
释义性报道奖(Explanatory Reporting)
获奖者:非盈利组织“为了公众”(ProPublica)的T. Christian Miller和美国非盈利调查新闻机构“马歇尔计划”(The Marshall Project)的Ken Armstrong
A Partnership Forms: When Det. Stacy Galbraith and Sgt. Edna Hendershot figured out that a serial rapist was at work, they joined with other Colorado detectives to hunt him down. “Two heads, three heads, four heads, sometimes are better than one, right?” Hendershot said.
公共服务奖不是大报的专利,许多小报只要其报道足够出色、对社会公共利益的实现有大的助力,就有可能得到公共服务奖的垂青。《美联社》今年凭借全球报道《出自奴隶之手的海鲜》(Slaves may have caught the fish you bought)获得公众服务奖。这一系列令人震惊的报道记录了来自缅甸和其他国家的奴隶劳工,他们被逼在船上劳动,有时会被囚禁甚至关进笼子里。他们是支持泰国的捕鱼业的重要劳力,而且供应了相当大部分的美国海鲜市场。这组报道为泰国带来了了一轮起诉、改革和2000多名奴隶的自由。
Burmese fishermen raise their hands as they are asked who among them wants to go home at the compound of Pusaka Benjina Resources fishing company in Benjina, Aru Islands, Indonesia, on Friday. (DITA ALANGKARA/AP)
除此6项重磅新闻奖之外,《纽约时报》、《华盛顿邮报》等美国主流媒体均有斩获其他重要奖项。
国内新闻报道奖(National Reporting):《华盛顿邮报》(The Washington Post)
国际新闻报道奖(International Reporting):《纽约时报》(The New York Times)