| Year | Name(s) | Publication | Rationale |
|---|
| 1998 | Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for its coverage of a botched bank robbery and subsequentpolice shootout inNorth Hollywood." |
|---|
| John Dennis Harrigan | The News and Sentinel | "for his coverage of ashooting spree that left five dead, including his newspaper's managing editor." |
| Mike McAlary | New York Daily News | "for reporting on thebrutalization of a Haitian immigrant by police officers at a Brooklyn stationhouse."[c] |
| 1999 | Staff | Hartford Courant | "for its clear and detailed coverage of ashooting rampage in which a state lottery worker killed four supervisors then himself." |
|---|
| Staff | Jonesboro Sun | "for its aggressive yet responsible coverage of ashooting at a local middle school in which two boys killed a teacher and four classmates and wounded 10 others." |
| Staff | Miami Herald | "for its coverage of a 12-year-old boy's electrocution at a county bus shelter and the breaking news developments in the subsequent investigation of the shelter's faulty wiring, which likely caused the boy's death." |
| 2000 | Staff | The Denver Post | "for its clear and balanced coverage of thestudent massacre atColumbine High School." |
|---|
| Staff | The News and Observer | "for its comprehensive coverage of thedestruction in the state caused byHurricane Floyd." |
| Staff | The Oregonian | "for its comprehensive coverage of an environmental disaster created when acargo ship carrying heavy fuels ran aground and broke apart, and how fumbling efforts of official agencies failed to contain the far-reaching damage." |
| 2001 | Staff | Miami Herald | "for its balanced and gripping on-the-scene coverage of the pre-dawn raid by federal agents that took the Cuban boyElián González from his Miami relatives and reunited him with his Cuban father." |
|---|
| Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for its compelling and resourceful coverage of every aspect of the crash ofAlaska Airlines Flight 261 off the California coast, which killed 88 passengers." |
| Staff | The Star-Ledger | "for its graphic and highly detailed coverage, despite restricted access, of thedormitory fire atSeton Hall University that killed three students and injured 58 others." |
| 2002 | Staff | The Wall Street Journal | "for its comprehensive and insightful coverage, executed under the most difficult circumstances, of theterrorist attack onNew York City, which recounted the day's events and their implications for the future." |
|---|
| Staff | New York Daily News | "for its vivid and detailed on-scene coverage of theSeptember 11th terrorist attacks onNew York City." |
| Staff | The New York Times | "for its eloquent and precise coverage of theSeptember 11th terrorist attacks that captured the gravity, drama and historic dimension of the day's events." |
| 2003 | Staff | The Eagle-Tribune | "for its detailed, well-crafted stories on the accidental drowning of four boys in theMerrimack River." |
|---|
| Staff | The Baltimore Sun | "for its compelling and comprehensive coverage of thesniper killings that terrorized theWashington-Baltimore region." |
| Staff | The Seattle Times | "for its enterprising coverage of the many local connections to the ex-soldier and his teenage companion arrested in thesniper attacks in theWashington, D.C. region." |
| 2004 | Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for its compelling and comprehensive coverage of themassive wildfires that imperiled a populated region ofSouthern California." |
|---|
| Staff | Miami Herald | "for its immediate and distinctive search for the cause of theColumbia space shuttle disaster." |
| Staff | Newsday | "for its enterprising coverage of thesummertime blackout that stretched over a vast area of the United States and cut the paper's own power supply as deadlines loomed." |
| 2005 | Staff | The Star-Ledger | "for its comprehensive, clear-headed coverage of the resignation ofNew Jersey's governor after he announced he was gay and confessed to adultery with a male lover." |
|---|
| Staff | Charlotte Sun | "for its heroic coverage ofHurricane Charley after it destroyed the homes of employees and cut the paper's power supply and phone service." |
| Staff | Sun Sentinel | "for its enterprising and wide-ranging coverage, under difficult conditions, offour hurricanes that battered Florida over a six-week span." |
| 2006 | Staff | The Times-Picayune | "for its courageous and aggressive coverage ofHurricane Katrina, overcoming desperate conditions facing the city and the newspaper." |
|---|
| Staff | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | "for its swift and rigorous accounts of a shooting rampage by aprisoner who seized a deputy sheriff's gun and killed ajudge and three others." |
| Staff | Sun Sentinel | "for its clear, cohesive and enterprising coverage ofHurricane Wilma after it battered a region still recovering from major storms the previous year." |
| 2007 | Staff | The Oregonian | "for its skillful and tenacious coverage of afamily missing in the Oregon mountains, telling the tragic story both in print and online." |
|---|
| Staff | Courier Journal | "for its clear and authoritative reporting on thecrash of a Comair commuter jet that killed 49 people." |
| Staff | The Denver Post | "for its compelling and notably human coverage ofback-to-back blizzards that trapped travelers and paralyzed the region." |
| 2008 | Staff | The Washington Post | "for its exceptional, multi-faceted coverage of thedeadly shooting rampage atVirginia Tech, telling the developing story in print and online." |
|---|
| Staff | Idaho Statesman | "for its tenacious coverage of the twists and turns in thescandal involving the state's senator,Larry Craig." |
| Staff | The New York Times | "for its swift, penetrating coverage of a fire in theBronx that killed nine persons, eight of them children." |
| 2009 | Staff | The New York Times | "for its swift and sweeping coverage of aprostitution scandal that resulted in the resignation of Gov.Eliot Spitzer, breaking the story on its website and then developing it with authoritative, rapid-fire reports." |
|---|
| Staff | Houston Chronicle | "for taking full advantage of online technology and its newsroom expertise to become a lifeline to the city whenHurricane Ike struck, providing vital minute-by-minute updates on the storm, its flood surge and itsaftermath." |
| Staff | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | "for its creative and aggressive coverage, both online and in print, of acity hall shooting that left six people dead, displaying an exemplary blend of speed and rigor in its reporting." |
| 2010 | Staff | The Seattle Times | "for its comprehensive coverage, in print and online, of theshooting deaths of four police officers in a coffee house and the 40-hour manhunt for the suspect."[9] |
|---|
| Staff | The Star-Ledger | "for its sweeping coverage of 44 arrests in a widespreadcorruption scandal that snared local officials, several religious leaders and others." |
| Staff | The Washington Post | "for its compelling coverage of anArmy psychiatrist, with long ties to Washington, who killed 13 people in ashooting rampage atFort Hood, a Texas military base." |
| 2011 | No award. |
|---|
| Staff | Chicago Tribune | "for its coverage of the deaths of two Chicago firefighters who were killed while searching for squatters in an abandoned burning building." |
| Staff | El Nuevo Herald | "for their coverage of a devastatingearthquake in Haiti, often working under extreme conditions." |
| Staff | Miami Herald |
| Staff | The Tennessean | "for its coverage of the mostdevastating flood inMiddle Tennessee history." |
| 2012 | Staff | The Tuscaloosa News | "for its enterprising coverage of adeadly tornado, using social media as well as traditional reporting to provide real-time updates, help locate missing people and produce in-depth print accounts even after power disruption forced the paper to publish at another plant 50 miles away." |
|---|
| Staff | The Arizona Republic | "for its comprehensive coverage of themass shooting that killed six and wounded 13, including CongresswomanGabrielle Giffords, an exemplary use of journalistic tools, from Twitter to video to written reports and features, to tell an unfolding story." |
| Staff | Wisconsin State Journal | "for its energetic coverage of 27 days of around-the-clockprotests in the State Capitol overcollective bargaining rights, using an array of journalistic tools to capture one breaking development after another." |
| 2013 | Staff | The Denver Post | "for its comprehensive coverage of themass shooting at a movie theater inAurora, Colorado, that killed 12 and injured 58, using journalistic tools, from Twitter and Facebook to video and written reports, both to capture a breaking story and provide context."[10] |
|---|
| Staff | The Denver Post | "for its vivid coverage of awildfire that destroyed more than 300 homes, combining on-the-ground reporting with imaginative use of digital tools, including a before-and-after interactive feature that helped displaced fire victims determine the fate of their homes before there was official notification." |
| Staff | Hartford Courant | "for its complete and sensitive coverage of theshooting massacre at an elementary school inNewtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and 6 adults, using digital tools as well as traditional reporting to tell the story quickly while portraying the stunned community's grief." |
| 2014 | Staff | The Boston Globe | "for exhaustive and empathetic coverage of theBoston Marathon bombing and the ensuing manhunt that enveloped the city, using photography and a range of digital tools to capture the full impact of the tragedy."[11] |
|---|
| Staff | The Arizona Republic | "for its compelling coverage of a fast-moving wildfire that claimed the lives of 19 firefighters and destroyed more than a hundred homes, using an array of journalistic tools to tell the story." |
| Staff | The Washington Post | "for its alert, in-depth coverage of themass shooting at theWashington Navy Yard, employing a mix of platforms to tell a developing story with accuracy and sensitivity." |
| 2015 | Staff | The Seattle Times | "for its digital account of alandslide that killed 43 people and the impressive follow-up reporting that explored whether the calamity could have been avoided."[12] |
|---|
| Staff | The Buffalo News | "for a superbly reported and written account of a lake-effect snowstorm, using human detail to illuminate the story and multimedia elements to help readers through the storm." |
| Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for a quick but thoughtful response to ashooting spree, beginning with minute-by-minute digital storytelling and evolving into print coverage that delved into the impact of the tragedy." |
| 2016 | Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for exceptional reporting, including both local and global perspectives, on theshooting in San Bernardino and the terror investigation that followed." |
|---|
| Staff | The Baltimore Sun | "for fast-moving coverage of therioting that followed the death ofFreddie Gray, reflecting the newsroom's knowledge of the community and advancing the conversation about police violence." |
| Staff | The Post and Courier | "for its tenacious effort in obtaining video of apolice officer shooting an unarmed Walter Scott and superb reporting that put the recorded shooting in context." |
| 2017 | Staff | East Bay Times | "for relentless coverage of the'Ghost Ship' fire, which killed 36 people at a warehouse party, and for reporting after the tragedy that exposed the city's failure to take actions that might have prevented it."[13] |
|---|
| Staff | The Dallas Morning News | "for keeping readers informed during a chaoticshooting spree that killed five police officers and injured nine others and delivering timely, vivid and heartbreaking accounts of the horrific night." |
| Staff | Orlando Sentinel | "for coverage of themass shooting at thePulse nightclub, including middle-of-the-night reports as party-goers hid and police prepared to storm the building and subsequent work that took readers inside the club and humanized the victims." |
| 2018 | Staff | The Press Democrat | "for lucid and tenacious coverage ofhistoric wildfires that ravaged the city ofSanta Rosa andSonoma County, expertly utilizing an array of tools, including photography, video and social media platforms, to bring clarity to its readers—in real time and in subsequent in-depth reporting."[14] |
|---|
| Staff | Houston Chronicle | "for comprehensive and dynamic coverage ofHurricane Harvey that captured real-time developments of the unprecedented scale of the disaster and provided crucial information to its community during the storm and itsaftermath." |
| Staff | The New York Times | "for authoritative and innovative coverage of the deadliestmass shooting in modern American history at a concert inLas Vegas, using poignant storytelling as well as groundbreaking video analysis and motion graphics to illustrate how the attack unfolded." |
| 2019 | Staff | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | "for immersive, compassionate coverage of themassacre at Pittsburgh'sTree of Life synagogue that captured the anguish and resilience of a community thrust into grief."[15] |
|---|
| Staff | Bay Area News Group | "for committed coverage of an epicCalifornia wildfire that consumed more than 18,000 buildings in 150,000 acres, and took 86 lives."[d] |
| Staff | Chico Enterprise-Record |
| Staff | Sun Sentinel | "for exhaustive and lucid multi-platform coverage of theMarjory Stoneman Douglas High School rampage that brought compassion and clarity to a horrific tragedy." |
| 2020 | Staff | Courier Journal | "for its rapid coverage of hundreds of last-minute pardons byKentucky's governor, showing how the process was marked by opacity, racial disparities and violations of legal norms."[d] |
|---|
| Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for dynamic coverage that expertly blended multimedia components, frequent updates and rich narrative to report on a devastatingCalifornia boat fire that killed 34 people." |
| Staff | The Washington Post | "for incisive coverage of back-to-back mass shootings inEl Paso, Texas andDayton, Ohio that contextualized these events for a national audience." |
| 2021 | Staff | The Minnesota Star Tribune | "for its urgent, authoritative and nuanced coverage of thedeath of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and of thereverberations that followed."[16] |
|---|
| Sharon Begley[e] | Stat News | "for their prescient, expert and accessible coverage of the emergence ofCOVID-19, sounding the alarm on the potential spread and potency of the virus." |
| Helen Branswell |
| Andrew Joseph |
| Staff | Courier Journal | "for exclusive coverage that contradicted police narratives in thekilling of Breonna Taylor, and for its sensitive and innovative coverage of theaftermath." |
| 2022 | Staff | Miami Herald | "for its urgent yet sweeping coverage of thecollapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium complex, merging clear and compassionate writing with comprehensive news and accountability reporting."[17] |
|---|
| Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for deeply sourced and detailed reporting about afatal shooting on the set of the filmRust that moved beyond the day's events to a larger consideration of labor and safety concerns in the film industry." |
| Staff | The New York Times | "for its aggressive and revelatory reporting about theattack on Washington on January 6, 2021, delivered as the events were unfolding and afterwards." |
| 2023 | Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for revealing asecretly recorded conversation among city officials that included racist comments, followed by coverage of the rapidly resulting turmoil and deeply reported pieces that delved further into the racial issues affecting local politics."[18] |
|---|
| Peter S. Canellos | Politico | "for exclusive coverage of the unprecedented leak of adraft Supreme Court opinion overturningRoe v. Wade and giving states the power to regulate abortion."[f] |
| Hailey Fuchs |
| Josh Gerstein |
| Heidi Przybyla |
| Alex Ward |
| Staff | The New York Times | "for its urgent and comprehensive coverage of New York City'sdeadliest fire in decades, expertly combining accountability reporting across platforms with compassionate portraits of the 17 victims and the Gambian community that had long called the Bronx high-rise home." |
| 2024 | Staff | Lookout Santa Cruz | "for its detailed and nimble community-focused coverage, over a holiday weekend, ofcatastrophic flooding and mudslides that displaced thousands of California residents and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses."[19] |
|---|
| Staff | Honolulu Civil Beat | "for its distinctive, sweeping and urgent coverage of theMaui wildfires that killed more than 100 people and left a historic town in ruins, reporting that held officials to account and chronicled the aftermath and efforts to rebuild."[d] |
| Staff | Los Angeles Times | "for urgent and thoughtful coverage of aLunar New Year overnightshooting that left 11 senior citizens dead, demonstrating clear knowledge of and commitment to the local Asian communities." |
| 2025 | Staff | The Washington Post | "for urgent and illuminating coverage of the July 13attempt to assassinate then-presidential candidateDonald Trump, including detailed story-telling and sharp analysis that coupled traditional police reporting with audio and visual forensics." |
|---|
| Staff | Associated Press | "for fast, comprehensive and authoritative coverage of theassassination attempt on then-presidential candidateDonald Trump, including vivid details from the scene followed by the first reporting on gaps in security measures by theSecret Service and local law enforcement." |
| Staff | The Charlotte Observer | "for collaborating on comprehensive and community-focused reporting onHurricane Helene, whichkilled more than 200 people and damaged 70,000 homes and businesses in thewestern part of the state." |
| Staff | The News and Observer |
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