Gannett Wins Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and Honored as Finalist in Breaking News and Public Service Reporting
12 June 2021 - 6:13AM
Business Wire
Indianapolis Star staff wins for National
Reporting and the Louisville Courier Journal staff named finalist
for Breaking News and Public Service
Today, The Indianapolis Star, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:
GCI) won a 2021 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting alongside
partners at The Marshall Project, AL.com, and the Invisible
Institute for a year-long investigation that found police dogs
attack people suspected of petty crimes, bystanders and even
officers, leaving many with life-altering injuries.
The Louisville Courier Journal was a Pulitzer finalist in two
categories, Breaking News and Public Service, for its coverage and
relentless investigation into the March 13, 2020, fatal police
shooting of unarmed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor and the 180 days of
protest and unrest it spurred. The Courier Journal has written more
than 950 Breonna Taylor stories since she died.
This marks five Pulitzer Prize winners and four finalists
awarded to Gannett journalists in the last four years. With this,
Gannett has been honored with 96 Pulitzer Prizes in total.
“The entire Gannett family recognizes the unrelenting work of
our colleagues, and this distinction is incredibly well-deserved,”
said Gannett Chief Executive Officer Mike Reed. “In all the
communities we serve, the teams of talented, passionate journalists
like those in Indianapolis and Louisville bring greater
understanding to the stories of our time.”
“The once-in-a-generation storylines of 2020 served as a
powerful underscore for the importance of local journalism, to help
citizens through intense challenge, to seek truth and champion
accountability from our leaders. Within days of publishing the
IndyStar’s investigation on the gruesome injuries caused by police
K-9 units, the Indianapolis police department announced changes on
how it would use police dogs,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth,
President of the USA TODAY NETWORK and Publisher of USA TODAY.
“Similarly, much of what we now know about the night Breonna Taylor
was fatally shot by police is because of the Louisville Courier
Journal’s relentless reporting, determination and demands for
transparency. The entire team and the USA TODAY Network are proud
and humbled to have been honored for this work today.”
The Indianapolis Star – National Reporting Pulitzer
Prize
Gruesome or shocking bites often receive local attention and
lead to lawsuits, but no one was putting the pieces together on a
national scale. This project identified and tracked individual
cases, mostly based on court records, eventually building a
nationwide database of more than 150 severe incidents. As a result,
the series is the most comprehensive and sweeping look at police
dog bites that has been published to date. Indianapolis
Metropolitan Police Department said it intends to change when and
how it uses police dogs.
“Every journalist believes in our mission to serve our
communities,” said Katrice Hardy, IndyStar executive editor and
Midwest Regional Editor for USA Today Network. “This project is
another example of how dogged reporting, compelling and insightful
findings and a team of passionate reporters, photographers, visual
journalists and editors are committed daily to uncovering and
investigating issues that make our communities better.”
Louisville Courier Journal – Public Service Pulitzer Prize
Finalist
The Courier Journal's coverage went to the heart of the issues
confounding Louisville for decades: Over-policing, an unequal
justice system and institutions that devalued Black lives. Taylor's
death resonated with Black women who played a leading role in
Louisville's protests and the Courier Journal was the first to
explore their influence and bring their stories to the public.
Louisville Courier Journal – Breaking News Pulitzer Prize
Finalist
The Courier Journal combined daily coverage from the streets
with its breaking enterprise. Its journalists gained the trust of
protest leaders through their dedicated coverage and worked to tell
their stories and detail their plight. It found that no-knock
warrants like the one used in the Taylor raid disproportionately
target Black residents; weighed ‘stand your ground’ laws vs.
no-knocks; and when a Black business owner was shot by authorities
responding to a curfew violation, quickly pieced together just what
happened on the tragic night.
“The Courier Journal staff celebrates being Pulitzer finalists
in Public Service and Breaking News for our relentless pursuit of
the truth around Breonna Taylor’s death,” said Courier Journal
Executive Editor Mary Irby-Jones. “And we will continue to push for
answers, reform and accountability following this horrible tragedy
for Breonna's family and the community — one we must learn from and
use as a catalyst to build a more just society.”
ABOUT GANNETT
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and
digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed
to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the
national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions
with our Pulitzer Prize-winning content, consumer experiences and
benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current
portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media
organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly
owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120
local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing
services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream,
Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the
largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK
Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.
ABOUT USA TODAY NETWORK
USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the
largest local-to-national media organization in the country,
powered by our award-winning newsrooms and marketing solutions
business. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S.
with more than 250 local media brands, plus USA TODAY, we engage
more than 145 million people every month through a diverse
portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For
more information, visit www.gannett.com.
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Lark-Marie Antón SVP, Communications (646) 906-4087
lark@gannett.com
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