On Monday, the Denver Post was awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the July 20, 2012, shooting at the Century 16 multiplex in Aurora, Colo.
The Pulitzer Prize Board issued the following citation with the prize:
Awarded to The Denver Post Staff for its comprehensive coverage of the mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., 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.
The entry documents submitted by the newsroom show how a modern news organization can utilize social media, video, photography, interactive media and, most importantly, solid reporting to cover breaking news in realtime (note: links are to PDFs).
“We all wish July 20 never happened, but it did, and I could not be more proud of The Denver Post for its exhaustive and creative coverage,” said Post editor Gregory L. Moore in an article published by the paper. “It is a great achievement to have that work honored with a Pulitzer Prize.”
This was the Post’s fourth Pulitzer Prize in as many years, a winning streak matched only by the New York Times.
“Winning a Pulitzer Prize four years in a row is beyond impressive, it’s awe-inspiring,” said Jim Brady, editor-in-chief of Digital First Media. “This speaks to the incredible commitment to high-quality journalism that has driven the Post newsroom for so many years, but also to its ability to deliver on that commitment across so many platforms. The Aurora tragedy was one that required use of all those platforms, and the Post delivered on all of them, and that is because of the world-class newsroom that Greg Moore has built.”
Congratulations to the Denver Post and all other winners.